What The Heart Wants
by HeavenSkye
Summary: Eventual Reddie fic, set after series 4, ep 1 at least, but kinda AU from there. Not sure how to write this but please just read and let me know what you think. Rated T mainly for language. What if Melissa's secret came out sooner than it did? What changes would occur if there was someone who knew about Rachel and Eddie's feelings and wanted to push them together sooner?
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N): Hey, so, this is my first Waterloo Road fanfiction, I think. I adore Reddie, and so that is the main pairing of this fic, even if Eddie and Mel are together at the beginning. This is set early series 4, after Eddie gets with Mel but before the proposal and Maxine being shot by Earl and stuff like that. This is dramatically AU in the fact that Rachel has a fifteen year old daughter, so the same age as Philip, and she plays a large part in this, especially in regards to getting Reddie together. Uh, anyway, I hope you like it, and please let me know what you think. I love reviews more than chocolate cake, which is a lot.**

 **Blanket disclaimer for the entire fic: I do not own Waterloo Road or any characters belonging to that, I just play around with them for my own amusement and to portray what should have happened (Reddie forever haha).**

 **HeavenSkye x**

 **What The Heart Wants**

 **Chapter 1**

Rachel Mason stood alone in her kitchen stirring her cup of coffee dejectedly, dreading another day of work. Ordinarily, she loved going into work, seeing all the teenagers and their lives, helping to make a difference, but ever since she'd gone back that term, she'd dreaded each day she had to go to the school. If she was being honest with herself, she'd admit that the main reason for her reluctance to head to work was her deputy, Eddie Lawson, and her sister, Melissa Ryan.

"Dreading another day?"

Rachel span round to see her fifteen year old daughter, Alia, stood in the doorway to the kitchen wearing sleep shorts and a vest top, brunette waves messy and hazel eyes still full of sleep. Rachel sighed, feeling her shoulders drop in resignation. "Maybe." Was all Rachel would admit to as Alia stepped further into the kitchen and hoisted herself up on the counter opposite Rachel, bare legs swinging back and forth.

"It'll all work out. Aunt Mel's never stuck with a guy for long." Alia tried in an attempt to be helpful, but Rachel just sighed again, wiping at a stray tear impatiently.

"It's not that, Ali. I just, I wanted…" Rachel trailed off, not sure where she was going with her sentence. Alia, though, seemed to understand what Rachel couldn't put into words.

"You wanted Eddie to prove he meant what he said outside the pub, about you being special to him. You wanted him to prove that your scar truly meant nothing, at least not to him. And yet a week later he was with your sister, not really proving that you were special at all." Alia supplied for her in an even tone, trying not to get angry at the man who had reduced her mum to such a state in her self-confidence. It wouldn't help Rachel if Alia got angry at a man she'd never met, but her mum loved.

"Yeah, I did." Rachel whispered, more to herself than anything. Alia nodded sympathetically.

"Uh huh. Well, one more day and then it's the weekend." Alia told her optimistically. Rachel smiled despite herself at her daughter's attempt to cheer her up.

"Like you know the difference, Ali." Rachel teased before sighing as she picked up her cup. "Look, Ali, I know you don't like it, but can you please think about coming back to school?"

Ali sighed, closing her eyes briefly at the pain the sentence invoked. She'd lived almost solely with her dad until three years ago when he'd died and she'd been sent to live with her mum. Her dad had been in the Army, and so Alia had lived on Army bases all her life, including going to schools on base too. She'd been in school when she'd received the news that her dad had been killed in an ambush when he'd been deployed in Iraq, and she'd ran straight out, refusing to ever go back to school again, stating that if she hadn't had to go to school then her dad might still have been alive. Looking back on it, even Alia couldn't say why she thought missing school would've saved him, but Alia hadn't wanted school after that, and Rachel had been reluctant to force the issue. As far as the officials were concerned, Alia was home-schooled, and Alia did indeed work hard at home, especially at Maths and Music. Alia was also a singer, known as Lia Rose, and had a couple of albums out already, the first album having originally been for a charity to support wounded troops and their families from the army base she'd been staying on at the time. It had soon grown and Lia was well-known to most people, with her songs regularly played on radios and in shops. Alia, however, was quiet and reserved, almost the exact opposite of the role she assumed when she was Lia. Lia wore an electric blue wig that came to her middle back, and had violet contacts, a stark contrast to Alia's brunette waves to her shoulder blades and bright, hazel eyes.

"I already told you; I don't like school." Alia responded tiredly.

"Neither do I right now." Rachel pointed out.

"I told you not to hire Aunt Mel in the first place." Alia retaliated. "Mel never causes anything but trouble."

"Alia that is your aunt you're talking about."

"So? It's true and you know it, Rach." Alia hadn't really seen much of Rachel before her dad had died as Rachel had only been around for the first three or four years before they'd split up, and because her dad had called Rachel by name, whether full or shortened, so did Alia. Rachel didn't really mind, and Alia did on occasion call her mum, though not very often. Rachel was pretty pleased to note that the instances in which Alia actually referred to her as mum were definitely increasing in numbers over the past three years.

Rachel sighed, setting down her now empty cup and running a hand through her hair. "What can I do, Ali? I don't like them together, but I can't split them up either."

"Just wait." Alia shrugged, jumping off the counter. "It'll work out, I know it."

"How can you be so sure?" Rachel asked, wishing desperately for the confidence her daughter had.

"Because I know you, and I know Mel. She'll do something to mess it up, and she doesn't really want Eddie."

"What?"

"She just wants to ruin things for you, Rach. She always has done."

"No, Mel is the new, improved version. She wouldn't do that again."

Alia scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it." She handed Rachel her handbag and car keys. "Have a good day at school, and I'll make tea tonight. And before you ask, yes, I'll think about coming back to school. I can't avoid it forever, can I?"

Rachel felt her jaw drop in shock. "Are you being serious Ali?"

"Yeah." Alia shrugged. "You need an ally, and I need new reading material. It's a win-win situation." She teased before turning serious. "I'll think about it, but Rach, you just need to get through today, okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you tonight, Ali."

…

Arriving at school, Rachel sighed, mentally preparing herself to face the day, particularly as she saw both Melissa's and Eddie's cars already parked up as she'd pulled into the car park. She knew Alia was right about just needing to get through the day, but she was seriously regretting bringing in Melissa at all. Rachel knew she might have been thinking unfairly, but she'd just wanted Eddie to wait for her to get her head sorted out before jumping into a relationship, and yet Alia had summed up what had happened instead, at which Rachel could freely admit that it hurt. The one man who had known about her past and not hated her for it, other than Alia's dad, James, had called her special, and promptly turned around and contradicted himself by getting with her sister less than a week later. Rachel frowned. How did it make her special that he seemed to get over her so very quickly, especially when she'd told him the reason behind her denial of their feelings, or rather, shown him?

Climbing out of the car, Rachel pulled her bag from the passenger seat and checked her phone out of instinct, something she did every morning. She had one text message from Alia.

 _From: Ali._

 _Hey, Rach, it'll be okay. You're Rachel Mason. You can get through anything. I believe in you. Homemade pizza for tea? Ali x_

Rachel smiled and quickly typed out a reply as she wandered up and into the school.

 _To: Ali._

 _Thanks love. Pizza sounds great. Please think about the school thing, okay? Do you have another meeting today? Mum x_

Rachel then shoved her phone back into her bag and walked down the corridor towards the stairs that would lead to her office quickly, not interested in walking in on whatever Eddie and Melissa could possibly be doing in the school so early.

"Aunt Rach."

Rachel turned, smiling when she saw her nephew, Philip, running down the corridor to catch up with her. "What's up, Philip?"

"I'm just bored, Rach." Philip admitted. "Mum and Eddie wanted to come in early to set up some scheme or other for the adult learners, so it was either early or walking."

Rachel smirked. "And you chose the lazy route. What a surprise."

"How's Ali? I haven't seen her in ages."

"She's good, Phil. A pain in the arse, but fine." Rachel laughed as she walked up the stairs with Philip.

"Ah that's good. Ali's cool."

"Seriously, Philip, is everything okay?" Rachel asked in concern. It wasn't so much that Philip asking after his cousin was odd, far from it, but Philip didn't usually focus directly on Alia's welfare, mainly just waiting for Rachel to bring Alia up before asking after his cousin.

Philip looked worried before shaking his head. "I, uh, I can't say. Look, just, can you tell Ali something for me?"

"Of course, but Phil, you can just tell her yourself. She doesn't bite."

"I know, just, can you tell her that it's too serious for my liking and that we need to do something?" Philip smiled tightly as he moved further down the corridor, not waiting for a reply from his aunt. "Thanks, Rach."

Rachel frowned after him before walking into her office, greeting her receptionist, Bridget, on her way past. As soon as the door to her office was closed, she pulled out her phone ready to call her daughter. First, she had a look at the message she'd received on her way up.

 _From: Ali._

 _Yeah, I have a meeting on some cover art at one. Yes, I'm thinking about school. Pizza it is then. See ya later, Ali x_

Ignoring the reply option, Rachel rang Alia's number, waiting four rings before her daughter picked up.

" _It's not even half eight yet. Surely they can't have annoyed you so soon."_

"Ali, I just spoke with Philip."

" _Oh? What about?"_

"He said to tell you that something was too serious for his liking and the pair of you had to do something about it. Ali, what did he mean?"

" _Crap. Uh, you're sure he said that?"_

"Of course I'm sure. What is Philip talking about, Alia?"

" _Uh, crap, uh, look, Rach, I can't tell you just yet."_

"Funny, it seems neither of you can tell me anything." Rachel retorted, irritated at both her daughter's refusal to tell her anything and the language she was using. She heard Alia sigh on the other end of the phone.

" _Look, I'll tell you over the weekend, okay? Both me and Phil will, and we'll all figure it out. Okay? Can you tell Phil that we'll think of something please?"_

"You both have phones, and yet I'm turning into a personal message carrier. Why?"

" _I'll tell you soon, I promise. Just not right now."_

"Alia Rosemary Mason…" Rachel trailed off warningly.

" _I know, I know. Just, please, leave it be for today. And_ _ **don't**_ _say anything to Mel or Eddie, please."_

"Fine." Rachel agreed reluctantly, against her better judgement, which was to pour out the whole confusing tale to Eddie as soon as she could. "But I want answers later, Alia."

" _I know, and you'll get them. I'll call you after my meeting, okay?"_

"Alright. Be safe, love."

" _Uh huh, you too. No more fires or kids with guns, okay?"_

"Okay." Rachel hung up with a sigh, slumping into her office chair and pinching the back of her neck in frustration. She'd thought the day was going to be hard, but after realising that her nephew and daughter were keeping secrets from her, she was now re-evaluating the day as impossible instead. How was she supposed to get through the day now?

 **TBC?**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N): Okay, here is the next instalment, with a massive thanks to those who have reviewed already. You give me the confidence to continue with my writing, no matter what it is. No Alia in this chapter, and Chlo is in this chapter a lot along with Philip, but I hope I made it believable. I really dislike rewatching most of the first half of series 4, as I really don't like Melissa, so if things seem a little off, it's because I haven't watched those episodes in a while. Obviously, as an AU, I can manipulate things to how I see fit, but as always, please let me know what you think. Sorry for the ramblings haha.**

 **HeavenSkye x**

 **What The Heart Wants**

 **Chapter 2**

"Philip, can I have a word?" Rachel called down the corridor. It was lunch, and was the first opportunity Rachel had found to get out of her office and find her nephew. Philip stopped and turned round, his face imploring and curious, not the usual expression of the boy that was generally more than a little embarrassed that his aunt was the headmistress of his school.

"What's up?" Philip asked as he approached her, neither noticing Eddie walk out of his classroom in curiosity when he'd heard Rachel shout her nephew, well in earshot. He hadn't seen much of Rachel since he'd started seeing Melissa, and he was anxious to get information on the woman he loved in any way possible, even if it meant eavesdropping on her conversation with her nephew.

"Ali said to tell you that we'll think of something. And that you'll both explain this to me over the weekend." Rachel informed him, watching Philip's face as it relaxed in relief. "Philip, are you sure you're okay? Ali sounded a little panicked on the phone."

"No, yeah, I'm fine. I'll come round on Saturday if that's alright."

"Yeah, Ali has weekends off right now, so it's fine. Eleven o'clock?"

"Yeah, sounds good. And Rach?"

"Yeah, Phil?"

"Thanks." Philip smiled briefly at his aunt before rushing off towards the canteen to eat, a weight lifted from his shoulders at the knowledge that his aunt and cousin would help him out with the problem he faced.

"Rachel?" Eddie spoke up just as Rachel moved to go back to her office. Rachel jumped, having only just realised he was there and hoped he hadn't heard what she'd told Philip. She had promised Alia she wouldn't tell Eddie anything yet after all.

"Eddie."

"What was all that about with Phil?" Eddie asked, trying to get Rachel to open up in any way possible, however, his question only caused her to clam up, not wanting to betray either Alia's or Philip's confidences, even if she didn't know what it was about.

"I don't know what you're on about Eddie."

"Okay, different question; who's Ali?" Eddie asked, silently hoping it wasn't a man in Rachel's life. He knew it was unfair, especially as he was with Melissa, but he didn't think he could bear the thought of Rachel with another man.

"What? No-one." Rachel blushed at the lie. She didn't want to lie about her daughter, but as Alia didn't really like attention and Rachel didn't like telling people about herself, not many people actually knew about Alia. Obviously, a lot of people knew about Lia, but even fewer people knew that Lia was Alia and vice versa, let alone Rachel's relation to her. On more than one occasion, Rachel had been tempted to tell Eddie the truth about Alia, but she'd wanted him to get used to her past first before she dropped any more bombshells on him.

"But…" Eddie began, only to be cut off as Chlo Grainger called out for Rachel.

"Miss Mason, can I have a word?"

Rachel nodded, sending an apologetic look Eddie's way before moving towards her office to talk to Chlo. "What's up Chlo?"

"I dunno, I just figured…" Chlo trailed off, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "I wanted to ask something."

"Ask away."

"Well, you know when you make a mistake you can't get rid of…" Chlo trailed off again as Rachel felt herself fill with dread. After discovering that Rachel was an ex-prostitute, the students had been far more open with their mistakes and wrong turns, knowing that Rachel wouldn't judge them for it, and would most likely help them out, but Rachel still felt dread every time it happened, waiting for that one problem that she couldn't help with or for some poor child that inadvertently followed in her footsteps.

"What's wrong, Chlo?"

"Well, how do you live with it?"

"Live with what?"

Chlo looked at the ground and mumbled something. Rachel frowned. Chlo looked up and blushed when she realised she'd spoken too low for Rachel to hear her. "I'm, uh, pregnant. And it's Donte's." She added hurriedly, as though there was some unspoken doubt she had to address. Rachel felt her eyes go wide as she ushered Chlo into her office and shut the door.

"Ah, does Donte know?"

"No, and before you ask, neither does Tom or anyone else. I just, don't know what to do." Chlo burst into tears as Rachel helped her sit on the couch in the corner of the office and produced some tissues for the distraught teenager.

"Hey, it'll be okay Chlo." Rachel reassured the seventeen year old as she sat down beside her. "People have babies all the time."

"But miss, I don't know if I can do this!" Chlo wailed, mascara running as she looked up at Rachel with wide, scared eyes. "How can I carry on, just another teenage mum?"

"Not if you don't want to." Rachel supplied helpfully, sighing as she put an arm around Chlo's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the teenage girl. "Look, you have options on whether you want to keep the baby or not, but Chlo, even if you keep it, you can still do whatever you want. You don't have to give up on your dreams, love."

"What?" Chlo whispered, looking disbelievingly at her head teacher as one hand moved instinctively to her stomach. "I, I don't know, I think I want to keep it, but…"

"You don't think you're ready for it."

"Yeah, something like that." Chlo sighed, finally getting a hold on her tears. "I can't do anything now, miss. I'll always be a mum first and anything else second."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can't multitask." Rachel sighed, realising the empty words weren't getting through to Chlo. "Listen, Chlo, I'm about to tell you something private, okay? I know how you feel because I've been there."

"You got pregnant miss?" Chlo asked in confusion. Rachel nodded.

"Yeah, I've got a little girl. Well, not so little anymore, but still. I got pregnant halfway through my A2 year, a bit like you Chlo. I thought my life was over, but I went to Uni, got my degree and still managed to be there for my little girl." Rachel spewed out in a rush. Chlo stared at her, shocked.

"How-how did you do it, miss?" Chlo asked hopefully, her future not looking as bleak when she knew she wasn't alone. She didn't really know what had made her seek out her head instead of someone, anyone, else, but now she was glad she had done.

"A lot of hard work and a supportive boyfriend." Rachel returned evenly. "And whilst it may not have been ideal trying to juggle everything all at once, I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Why not?"

"Changing things would mean that I wouldn't have my little girl, and I wouldn't give her up ever."

"Okay." Chlo stood up, a new confidence in her posture as she felt happy once more. "Miss, can you come with me when I tell Tom? I don't think I can do it on my own."

"Of course." Rachel stood up beside the girl. "Are you sure you want me there?"

"Yeah miss." Chlo led the way from the office before waiting to fall into step with Rachel as they walked along the corridor to Tom's classroom, who had a free that period and was spending it marking in his room rather than the staffroom. "Miss, what's your daughter called?"

"Alia." Rachel responded, silently debating whether it had been a good idea to tell the seventeen year old about her daughter. Chlo smiled shyly up at her.

"Sounds like a nice name. Don't worry, miss, I won't tell anyone about Alia until you do." Chlo assured her teacher as they approached the door to Tom's classroom. Chlo took a deep breath, nervous once more, though not nearly as much now she knew she had support and someone to talk things through with already, even if Tom took it badly. Rachel smiled reassuringly at the teenager as she pushed open the door, allowing Chlo in first as Rachel shut the door behind them.

Tom looked up from his marking, instantly worried when he saw Chlo was with Rachel and not alone, as she usually would be when she simply wanted to talk. "Uh, Miss Mason, is Chlo in trouble?"

Rachel shook her head, nudging Chlo forwards a little. "Not at all, Tom. I'm only here because Chlo asked me to be." Rachel perched herself on the desk nearest the door, sending another reassuring look to Chlo, who stood halfway between Tom and Rachel, fidgeting with the hem of her school shirt again, not daring to look Tom in the eyes.

"Chlo, what's wrong sweetheart?" Tom asked in concern. Chlo stayed with her face towards the ground and mumbled much the same as she had with Rachel, however that time Rachel heard whereas Tom didn't. "Chlo, can you repeat that for me?"

Chlo took a deep breath, and after another glance at Rachel, who nodded, let it all out in a rush. "I'm pregnant and its Donte's and I'm still chasing my dreams."

 **TBC?**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N): Not sure if anyone is reading this, but I managed to get this written up, so I'll post this for now. Let me know what you think please. I don't own any of the things you recognise.**

 **HeavenSkye x**

 **What The Heart Wants**

 **Chapter 3**

Rachel sat on the sofa in her office and sighed in relief as the final bell for the school day rang and the hallways instantly filled with noise of the kids, eager to get out of the building after another long day. Rachel rubbed at the back of her neck, silently contemplating the day. After the worry she'd been feeling over Alia and Philip keeping secrets, she hadn't imagined her day could get any more hectic. However, then Chlo and her little bombshell had shook up Rachel's afternoon, the older woman sticking with the teenager for well over an hour as Tom had first been shocked and then angry, causing Chlo to rush away to the toilets in floods of tears. It had taken Rachel a good portion of twenty minutes to get the girl out of the toilets and sat safely in Rachel's office before Rachel had then taken it upon herself to talk to Tom, informing him of how upset Chlo was, and how she needed his support, making sure that no mention of Alia was let slip. She figured that letting the secret of her daughter slip once was enough for one day. Tom had then finally made up with Chlo, and Chlo had managed to get him to support her decisions and stay with her when she chose to tell Donte, which was supposed to be later that night.

A knock on the door shook Rachel out of her reverie as she called for the visitor to come in. The door opened and Chlo and Tom stepped in, both looking slightly calmer and happier than the last time Rachel had seen them earlier that afternoon. "Hey, miss, I just wanted to say thanks." Chlo said with a smile. Rachel nodded, standing just in time to hug Chlo back as the girl unexpectedly launched herself into Rachel's arms.

"Its fine love, I'm glad I could help. If there's anything else I can do for you, even just talking, don't hesitate Chlo." Rachel assured the girl as Chlo pulled back, looking a little embarrassed that she'd just hugged her headmistress.

"Thanks miss. I guess we'd better be going." Chlo said as she stood back. Tom moved forwards, grabbing Rachel's hand.

"Thanks, Rachel. At least Chlo felt she could tell someone."

Rachel nodded, choosing not to answer as Tom wrapped his arm around his stepdaughter's shoulders, leading Chlo from the office as Melissa passed them, knocking on the now open office door and stepping in. Rachel blinked in shock, not expecting to see Melissa there. Melissa had begun to avoid Rachel as much as Rachel had been trying to avoid Melissa since the latter had begun dating Eddie. "Mel."

"Rach." Melissa returned evenly, shutting the door. "Do you know what's up with Philip? He's been jumpy and quiet all day, and Eddie said you had a conversation with him at dinner."

"Oh, uh, no, I'm sorry, I don't know what's up." Rachel responded, unexpectedly grateful to Philip and Alia that they'd refused to tell her, meaning she didn't technically have to lie to her sister, possibly the teenagers' intention when they'd been cagy about it. "I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me. I invited him round tomorrow, to see if Ali can find out what's up with him."

"Wait, Ali'd actually tell you?" Melissa scoffed in disbelief, only to stop when she realised that Rachel was being serious.

"Yeah, Mel, Ali would tell me. I have a very different relationship with my daughter than mum had with either of us." Rachel spoke quietly, though her voice practically exuded danger if Melissa said one more thing out of line. Rachel didn't much care what Melissa thought of her, but she drew the line where Alia was concerned.

"Uh, right, uh, I also wanted to tell you something." Melissa sighed when Rachel didn't respond, only looking at her younger sibling expectantly. "Fine, mum's coming to visit us next week."

"What?" Rachel asked darkly. Melissa rolled her eyes.

"I know, I couldn't believe it either. At least she's not insisting on staying with you."

"How could she? She disowned me eighteen years ago, even if she acts like it's a selective disownment when it suits her."

"Well, I figured I'd let you know that she's meant to be arriving in Rochdale next Wednesday, and staying for at least a week, maybe two."

"Crap." Rachel rubbed a little at her tired eyes, dreading the week to come already, even knowing she had the next two days off to spend with Alia, and Philip to some extent too. Melissa nodded, having uttered a similar sentence after her mum had called.

"Well, please, if you find out what's up with Philip, tell me Rach. I'm worried about him."

"Of course, Mel." Rachel moved over to her desk and picked up her bag and keys, throwing her phone into her bag. "Now, I have a daughter and homemade pizza to get home to. See you Monday, Mel."

"Yeah, see ya, sis."

…

The next day found Rachel stood in front of the large sofa in her living room, staring down at Alia and Philip sternly. The night before Rachel had tried to get Alia to tell her what was going on, to no avail, and it had irritated Rachel more than she'd cared to admit that they were keeping secrets from her. "Will one of you please tell me what is so important?"

Alia and Philip shared glances, before Alia nodded slightly and Philip turned back to his aunt looking slightly green. "Well, Rach, see…" Philip trailed off, not sure how to continue, so instead, he shot a pleading look to his cousin.

"Aunt Mel's married." Alia blurted out in an attempt to help out Philip. Rachel frowned in confusion as the teenagers shared another look.

"I know, she's divorcing Phil's dad as we speak." Rachel responded, only for her confusion to deepen when the two cousins let out sarcastic laughs at her statement.

"Yeah… no, she can't." Philip countered, his courage rising as he felt the full force of his mum's decisions weigh on him again. He'd confided in Alia about his mum over a year earlier, and she'd promised to keep it quiet and help him out with it should he ever need it. He didn't want his aunt to get angry at them for concealing it, and he didn't want Eddie to get hurt, which was why he'd requested Alia's help when things between Eddie and his mum had looked too serious for his taste. "She can't divorce him."

"Why not, Phil?" Rachel asked softly, clearly sensing that he was struggling with how to tell her what he wanted to and so Rachel turned to her daughter instead. "Ali, why can't Mel get divorced?"

"Uh," Alia shared another look with her cousin before schooling her features to remain even and facing Rachel once more. "Because she's married to two people at the same time. Bigamy."

Rachel felt herself sink onto the other couch in the room in shock as she shook her head. "No," She whispered in denial, though in the back of her mind she knew the two fifteen year olds weren't lying to her. "Mel told me… She promised she was getting a divorce."

"She lied." Alia countered flippantly, causing Philip to smirk sadly, amused at his cousin but sad for the situation his mum had landed herself in, and himself by extension. Rachel saw his face and was quick to reassure the boy.

"Phil, I promise you'll be okay, no matter what happens with your mum."

"Yeah, you can always live here with us if you wanted." Alia offered and Rachel agreed. Philip had stayed with his aunt before when Melissa had had 'dark places' and Rachel truly didn't mind her nephew living there too.

"Thanks." Philip responded, looking grateful. "But what are we gonna do? I don't want Eddie trapped like my dad was, is."

Rachel thought she caught Alia's face drop a tiny bit at the mention of Philip's dad, but it was gone too quickly for Rachel to really catch anything, so she figured it must have been the light playing tricks on her as she turned to her nephew. "Phil, we'll think of something, even if it simply means telling Eddie everything and hoping he believes us."

"I can get proof to back us up." Alia offered up unexpectedly. Both Rachel and Philip stared wide-eyed at her as she blushed. "I was taught covert ops by my dad's best mate. I can get copies of the marriage certificates and data that shows the lack of divorce papers. You know, if you want."

"Will it be illegal?" Rachel checked, groaning as Alia shrugged.

"It's only illegal if you get caught." Alia pointed out with a smirk. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Have you decided about school yet?"

"Yeah, fine, I'll come back to school. Just don't expect me to behave." Alia warned as Rachel beamed happily and Philip punched her playfully in the shoulder which quickly descended into a play fight between the cousins as Rachel watched on in amusement.

The sound of an incoming text made Rachel jump and she left the two fighting teenagers to go into the hall. She looked down at the display on her phone, groaning when she read it.

 _From: Mel._

 _Rach, has Phil said anything to Ali yet? I'm so worried. Mel xx_

Rachel sighed, half-heartedly wondering why the last two days of all days had Melissa particularly worried but she quickly typed out a reply, knowing if she didn't her sister would soon be calling her to check up.

 _To: Mel._

 _No, he hasn't. Don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing. Ali'll tell me if it is something, I promise. Rachel x_

…

Monday morning came around far too quickly for either female in the Mason household. Rachel had managed to drag herself up with her alarm and made herself get in the shower whilst Alia simply hit the button to turn her alarm off and turned over, fully intent on going straight back to sleep, forgetting that she had school that day. Rachel had taken Alia shopping on Sunday and together they'd managed a good compromise where school uniform was concerned.

" _Ali, no, you are not wearing stilettos to school." Rachel berated as Alia rolled her eyes, setting down the black heels back on the shelf._

" _C'mon, Rach, I always wear heels. Kind of a requirement with my job. Gives me height on stage and stuff."_

" _You'll be at school, not performing. And anyway, it's gonna get cold soon, so you might as well get boots instead."_

" _And no heels?"_

" _No heels." Rachel confirmed sternly, causing Alia to roll her eyes again as she moved over and picked up a pair of black cardy Ugg boots, holding them up in the other woman's eyesight. Rachel sighed but nodded, knowing her daughter's footwear was not going to get any more sensible than that. "Fine, but don't wreck them straight away. I'm not made of money."_

 _Alia stuck her tongue out as she put the shoes in the basket before rushing off and running back with a pair of skinny grey suit pants that were surprisingly passable as school pants. "These do? I don't do baggy pants unless they're trackie bottoms."_

" _They're good, Ali." Rachel responded slowly, still shocked she didn't have to talk Alia out of an impossibly short skirt. Alia smirked, reading the thoughts off Rachel's face._

" _I don't like skirts too much unless I really have to wear them." Alia smirked again as she threw a few school shirts onto the pile as well, all ones that didn't have top buttons and were quite well fitted. "The shirts are non-negotiable."_

" _Then you have to wear either the jumper or the blazer rather than just your leather jacket."_

" _Only in winter."_

" _And on important school days."_

" _Deal." Alia agreed. "But I withhold the right to customise the blazer as I see fit. Nothing too drastic, don't worry."_

" _You are going to wear the tie, right?" Rachel asked as they walked up to the tills to pay for the purchases. Alia rolled her eyes but nodded._

" _Yeah. The uniform doesn't bother me that much, Rach. My last school was far stricter than you, and so were the punishments."_

Rachel poked her head in Alia's room after her shower, rolling her eyes when she saw that the teenager had simply gone back to sleep. Pushing her wet hair away from her face, she marched over to Alia's bed and poked at the lump under the covers, producing a groan and some dark hair poking out from the top of the covers. "Stooooooop muuuuuum." The sleepy grumble was drawn out, but the fact that Alia had called her mum whilst still half asleep caused Rachel to rear back away from the bed, tears in her eyes at the knowledge that Alia really did think of her as a mum, even if the title wasn't used that often.

"Alia, you have school today. You need to get up to have a shower." Rachel pulled the covers down enough to see Alia blink sleepily up at her.

"Oh. Forgot about that. Fine." Alia sat up, rubbing at her eyes. "Give us twenty minutes and I'll be ready."

Rachel raised her eyebrows in disbelief, but walked back into her own room to dry her hair. There was still time; it was only half six after all.

…

Half an hour later, Alia wandered downstairs in her new uniform, tie hanging low on her ribs and brunette hair straightened and left down around her face, which had surprisingly little makeup on. Alia had only bothered putting a nude eyeshadow on, mascara and a clear lip gloss. Sighing when she heard the sound of Rachel getting dressed above her head, Alia turned the kettle on and made up two cups of coffee, one for Rachel and one for herself.

She then set about shoving four pieces of bread in the toaster and locating the butter, before pouring the boiling water in the coffee along with some milk and stirring them and rushing back to the other counter to take the toast from the toaster and butter them, splitting them up onto two plates and sliding them onto the kitchen island. Perching herself on a stool, Alia quickly ate her toast whilst sipping her coffee, watching the news on the small tv in the corner of the kitchen.

Rachel walked in and automatically made her way to the kettle, where Alia had left Rachel's coffee for her. Rachel took a large gulp before sighing in contentment and sliding onto the stool beside Alia's, pulling her own toast towards her. "Thanks, Ali." Rachel managed around mouthfuls of toast. "I've gotta be in early today for a management meeting with Tom, Eddie and Mel. Do you wanna come in with me or walk later?"

"Walk?" Alia laughed. "I can get a lift from loads of people. But yeah, Rach, I'd like to go in with you today. Could you like give me the tour before school or something? I don't wanna get lost or out."

"Sure love." Rachel nodded as she finished her toast. "We've still got time to kill before we've got to go, so do you want to go put your stuff in your school bag whilst I find the paperwork I need for today?"

"Sure." Alia stood and put her empty plate and cup in the sink before moving back to the island and kissing Rachel's cheek gently. "Thanks for being patient and stuff with me mum."

"Any time love." Rachel reassured her as Alia rushed back up the stairs and into her room, pulling the covers back onto her bed and finding a large royal blue tote bag she'd had for a couple of years hanging from the back of her desk. Quickly locating a couple of notebooks, Alia threw them into her bag, closely followed by a clear pencil case with a few black ballpoint pens, a couple of pencils, a ruler, a rubber and a sharpener in it. Finally, she threw an umbrella in there along with her purse so she could buy herself some dinner. Not sure what else she could pack until she knew what classes she had, Alia picked up her blazer from the back of her desk chair, the sleeves rolled up to elbow length and badges littering the collar. Walking out of the room, bag and blazer in hand, she turned back and gazed longingly at her room. She had wanted to stay at home so badly, even knowing that she really should be going to school. She knew it was an irrational fear to have, but she was scared all the same. She was just holding onto the hope that when she got to the school, she'd settle down and stop feeling so scared of the uncertain. Hearing Rachel call up the stairs for her, Alia took on longing glance at her room before shutting the door and running down the stairs to where Rachel stood at the bottom.

"What's up, Rach?"

"You almost done?" Rachel checked, smiling as Alia nodded. "Okay, can you put a bit of paperwork in your bag for me? Just till we get to school, I promise."

"Uh, sure." Alia held out her bag as Rachel slid a couple of files into it before Alia put her blazer on and slung the bag over her shoulder. "Rach, what if-what if I can't do it?"

"All I ask is that you try, Ali." Rachel said softly, encasing Alia in a quick hug. "Anything else we can deal with, as long as you try. If you really struggle, then come and find me love. I'll always be here for you Ali."

"Okay, thank you." Alia nodded into Rachel's shoulder. "Thank you."

"No problem. You ready to get going?"

"Yeah, let's go." Alia picked up her set of house keys as Rachel grabbed a large plastic bag, her handbag and her car keys and the mother and daughter duo stepped out of the house, ready for the long day ahead.

 **TBC?**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N): So, I know I have other fics I should be updating, and I swear I will, I'm just very inspired by this fic right now. If anyone here reads my other fics, my list of ones to get done is as follows: Through Thick And Thin, No Matter What, Back In Time, Daisy. The order may change, but I will get it done at some point.**

 **A huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed or favourited this story (Yes, I know that 'favourited' is not a word, but in this kind of context, it should be). I love you guys to the moon and back. I hope you like this next instalment just as much, and please, let me know what you think! Reviews are like cookies; I just can't have enough of them!**

 **HeavenSkye x**

 **What The Heart Wants**

 **Chapter 4**

Rachel glanced at Alia in worry and concern as they ascended the school steps together, Rachel carrying her handbag and plastic bag of files, Alia carrying her school bag. Alia was biting her lip and looked almost terrified. Rachel sighed, taking Alia's free hand in her own and squeezing it in reassurance. Rachel wasn't quite sure about Alia's reaction, as Alia had never actually spoken about her schooling, only telling Rachel that she'd been at school when she'd gotten the news of her dad's death. "It'll be okay, Ali. I promise." Rachel said, not sure she could keep the promise, but Alia seemed to see the intention behind the words as she managed a small smile for Rachel.

"I know. It's just been a long time, Rach." Alia replied, taking a deep breath as they walked into the school. It was only eight o'clock, and the meeting didn't start until eight fifteen, with the school day starting at twenty to nine with form time, but Rachel had intentionally arrived early enough to get Alia comfortable with the school before the meeting, and so that she would have time to give the teenager a tour before form time started.

"If you're worried about lessons, you'll be fine, Ali. I've seen your test results when we've sent them to the boards. You're one smart cookie, love."

"Thanks." Alia flushed in embarrassment at the compliment as the pair started up the stairs closest to Rachel's office. "This place seems… different to my old school."

"A good different or a bad different?"

"Oh, a good different, definitely." Alia stopped at the top of the stairs and pulled Rachel to one side, despite them being alone in the school. "I forgot to ask this morning; how are you after my and Philip's bombshell?"

Rachel sighed, pulling Alia into a one-armed hug. "I'll be fine. I know we can't say anything until you get us some proof, and I'll try to act normal around them. I've had a lot of practice lately." She teased, smiling as she made Alia smile a little.

"What if Aunt Mel recognises me?"

"Well, your school records still list you as Alia Falan rather than Alia Mason, so at least at the beginning, you can answer to that instead." Rachel shrugged, knowing that whilst Alia had changed her name via deed poll from Alia Rosemary Falan to Alia Rosemary Mason, the school records still had her down as Alia Falan. Rachel had always intended to inform them of the change, but Alia had always questioned the point of it when she didn't even go to school. "Plus, when was the last time Mel actually saw you? Wasn't it like ten years ago or something?"

"But what if she does?" Alia persisted. "Oh, and how about I leave my name for this term, and if things go well, I'll convince the boards to change it all over to Mason for next term?" She added after a beat.

"Then we'll deal with it love." Rachel assured her as Alia and Rachel reached the latter's office, Rachel opening the door and emptying the plastic bag on the table. Alia approached the table and pulled Rachel's files from her bag, placing them on top of Rachel's other paperwork. Rachel moved over to her desk and pulled out a piece of paper from the top drawer, the top of which read _Timetable for Alia Falan, Year 11_. "Here," Rachel handed over the paper. "You're in the same form as Phil, and I've put you in top set for everything for now; we can move you as we find your capabilities. I recall your options being French, Business and Art, so I put you in for them along with the usual subjects."

"Thanks Rach." Alia quickly took in her timetable, almost groaning aloud when she realised that set lessons meant she couldn't learn what she wanted when she wanted, as she had been used to doing at home. Rachel smiled swiftly before gesturing to the mess of paperwork atop the table.

"Can you give me a hand sorting this lot out before everyone else gets here?" Rachel asked. Instead of answering, Alia simply dropped her bag and moved to help Rachel sort things out into the piles she needed them in, all too aware of Rachel's filing system after disrupting them several times in the last three years. After they were done, Rachel smiled her thanks at the teenager. "Thanks Ali. If you want to go wait outside the office until the meeting has finished, then I'll come and find you for your tour before I'll have to leave you at your form room, alright?"

"Alright." Alia stood up and walked to the door before turning back to Rachel at the last moment. "Rach?"

"Yeah love?"

"It'll be okay, I promise." Alia assured Rachel before walking out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Rachel waited a beat before her shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes in defeat. No matter what front she put on, she knew Alia always saw through it, even if no-one else did. Rachel sighed before forcing the tears back. Maybe her day wouldn't be so bad, knowing that she had her daughter close and that both Alia and Philip were rooting for her. Maybe.

…

Alia perched herself on the window sill outside the main office, her bag beside her as she watched the stairwell with interest. She'd only seen one student walk up the stairs in the two minutes she'd been out of the office, and they hadn't paid her any attention, simply walking past to what Alia assumed was probably the library. She straightened with interest as she saw her aunt walking up the stairs hand in hand with a well-built, kind-faced man in a shirt and jeans, his dark eyes and greying hair lending him an authoritative air. Alia quickly deduced that the man must be Eddie, or as she was supposed to call him, Mr Lawson. The couple made their way past her towards Rachel's office when the man stopped, staring at Alia speculatively.

"Sorry, but I don't recognise you. I'm Mr Lawson, Maths teacher and Deputy Head." Eddie introduced himself, holding out a hand that Alia shook hesitantly. She didn't know Eddie, and whilst Rachel spoke of him in only the highest terms, Alia wanted to form her own opinions on the man, especially when she knew her mum was well on the way to being in love with him, if she hadn't fallen already.

"Alia. I start today. I'm waiting for the head to give me a tour before the day starts." Alia provided, not sure which surname to use for the man Rachel seemed to trust a lot.

"Alia what?" Eddie pressed, noticing that the child hadn't provided a last name. Alia shrugged, noticing Melissa walk into the outer office, clearly bored with the conversation. Once she was sure her aunt was out of earshot, Alia smiled hesitantly at Eddie.

"Uh, Alia Falan. I think I'm supposed to be in Year 11."

"Ah, well, my… friend, Ms Ryan, has a son in Year 11, Philip. I'm sure you'll fit right in." Eddie gestured in the direction Melissa had disappeared in as Alia nodded.

"Okay, thank you sir." Alia replied, almost biting her tongue when she addressed him as sir. Eddie sent her another kind smile before moving into the office, leaving Alia alone once again. Alia curled herself further up onto the window sill as more students began piling into the school, thankfully most not needing to go past Alia. After about three or four minutes, a dark haired man practically ran up the stairs followed by a blonde girl and a dark haired boy, the teenagers both having rings on their hands, suggesting they were married. Alia vaguely recalled Rachel saying something about a Chlo and Donte that were in sixth form and married, the girl being the stepdaughter of the English and PE teacher, Tom Clarkson, kind of.

Tom sent a tight smile in the direction of the teenagers. "I'll see you guys later. Rachel will have my head if I'm late to the meeting. Donte, look after Chlo for me, okay?"

"Of course, Tom. She is my wife." Donte replied with a grin as Chlo rolled her eyes at the pair of them. The two teenagers turned and walked in the opposite direction as Tom spotted Alia sat atop the window sill and sent her a tired smile.

"Hi, I'm Mr Clarkson, head of Pastoral Care, and an English and PE teacher."

"Alia Falan." Alia introduced herself for the second time that morning. "Is it that obvious that I'm the new kid?"

"Only a little bit." Tom teased as he threw a quick look in the direction of the office. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a management meeting. Still, if you've got any problems Alia…"

"I'll be sure to come and find you." Alia finished for him with a smile that Tom returned before hurrying off in the direction of Rachel's office.

Alia settled herself back in for a wait, absently seeking out her phone from her pants pocket and sending a quick text to Philip.

 _To: Phil._

 _Hey, I'm in school today, for the first time in forever, or so it seems. Don't worry about a thing; me and Rach will sort it. None of this is your fault. Don't forget to delete this text after you've read it Bean. You know aunt Mel still looks through your phone. Ali x_

After a moment she got a reply.

 _From: Phil._

 _Hey, Ali, thanks. You'll do brilliantly, I know it. See you soon, Philip x_

…

Rachel immediately straightened up as Melissa walked into her office and sat down in the seat opposite her sister, flashing the elder a smile that Rachel found hard to return, though return it she did. "Where are Phil and Eddie?" Rachel asked simply to make conversation. Melissa shrugged.

"Phil's decided to walk in today, and Eddie's out there talking to some new kid. Alia, or something. Kinda like your kid, Rach."

"Huh?" Rachel asked, eyes wide, though Melissa didn't seem to see anything amiss with her elder sister.

"Yeah, well, your Ali is called Alison, and this girl's called Alia. Pretty freaky, right?"

Rachel frowned. Alia had never been called Alison, but when Rachel had finally decided to tell her parents about Alia, her mother had refused to accept that her daughter had called her own child Alia, and had insisted that Alison was a better name for the granddaughter she'd never met. When Melissa had finally seen Alia for the one and only time when Alia was five, she'd called Alia Alison, despite the multiple times Rachel had insisted that her name was not Alison. Surprisingly enough, as far as Rachel was concerned, the one person that didn't fight her over Alia was Rachel's dad.

" _Dad, why aren't you siding with mum over Ali?" Rachel asked her dad as she walked into the kitchen, where her father, Johnathan Fenshaw, stood with a cup of coffee. Johnathan looked at his eldest daughter carefully before setting down his coffee cup._

" _Look, Rachel, I know we never made life easy for you, especially as a kid." Johnathan said uncomfortably. Rachel nodded, though she knew none of it had ever really been her dad's fault. It had been all her mum's doing, and her dad had simply backed his wife up rather than backing Rachel up. "When you were Amanda, we never really… appreciated you. I know your mum put you in an awful position when you were seventeen, and then when you left… Well, I know you didn't have to come back, but you did, for Mel, even if Fiona did disown you." Johnathan took a shaky breath, knowing he had to get it all out in the open. "I failed you, my daughter, but I refuse to do the same for little Alia. You didn't have to tell us about her, or what you're called now, but you have, and I won't waste the chance to make things up to you." Johnathan took a step towards Rachel. "I am so sorry, Mandy, for everything. Please, allow me to be the dad I should have been when you were growing up, and let me be a grandfather to your little Alia."_

" _But, dad, mum is insisting that Alia should be called Alison, and pretending like the disownment didn't even happen."_

" _And? Ignore her, Rachel. Alia is your little girl, no-one else's. Remember that." Johnathan sighed. "You should probably be the first to know, after your mum, you know. We're getting a divorce."_

" _What? Why now?" Rachel blurted out before slapping a hand over her mouth for her unintentional slip. Johnathan chuckled._

" _Oh, I hope Alia gets your bluntness, Rachel. And in answer to your questions; I just can't do it anymore. I've put up with a lot over the years, and yet recently, she's done more than she ever has before, and I just can't take any more, my dear." He ran a hand over his face. "She cheated on me with her yoga instructor, and she keeps talking about me going to the solicitors and taking Alia away from you, saying that we'd be better parents to her than you would." Johnathan quickly moved and took Rachel in his arms at the sight of tears falling down his daughter's face. "Don't worry, I set her straight and informed the officials that she was crazy." His teasing brought a choked laugh from Rachel as she looked up at him._

" _Dad, I don't think I can forget everything I went through, especially in this house." She took a deep breath. "But I think I can give you another chance. Just one, mind you, but a chance all the same. Do you want to meet Ali?"_

" _Yeah, that'd be good, Rachel." Johnathan hugged his daughter tightly. "And remember, I love you so much, Star."_

Rachel smiled internally. Despite Melissa only seeing Alia once, and her mum, Fiona Fenshaw, not at all, Johnathan had seen Alia much more, and came round to Rachel's house every two weeks to see Rachel and Alia, though Rachel didn't mention that to Melissa, as Melissa hadn't seen Johnathan in two years after a particularly nasty argument between the two in which Melissa sided with her mother over her father. Alia loved her Grampa John, and Johnathan loved Alia, the two getting along in a way that Rachel had only ever dreamed of before. Even Rachel and Johnathan's relationship had improved to the extent that Rachel had forgiven him completely for her childhood, and Johnathan had made sure to spend time with her when Alia had gone to bed, the pair being utterly childish and just generally having fun. Remembering what Melissa had said, Rachel opened her mouth to respond but was cut off when Eddie walked into the office with a smile on his face.

"Hey Rach."

"Eddie."

"You know there's a new kid out there right?" Eddie checked as Rachel nodded. "A new year 11 kid called Alia, I believe." He continued.

"I know, Eddie." Rachel smiled. "I'm giving her a tour after this meeting."

Tom walked in, throwing a tired smile to the room at large. "The new girl seems like a good kid." He commented. "Maybe she'd like to try out for the girls' football team."

"You'd have to ask her that, Tom." Rachel returned with a grin before her face morphed into a concerned expression. "You alright, Tom?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired. What with Chlo and Donte asking me questions every two seconds and the flaming Kellys next door with music blasting until three in the morning, I've had about two hours sleep." Tom complained whilst throwing Rachel a grateful glance in regards to Chlo and Donte's situation, to which Rachel blushed ever so slightly, leaving the other two in the room confused at the exchange.

"I'm sorry Tom." Rachel returned sincerely. Tom shrugged.

"Eh, it's not your fault Rachel. Anyway, what's this meeting about?"

Rachel then proceeded to hand out various pieces of paperwork to each member of staff and the conversation turned entirely professional as all four discussed and debated on various issues before Rachel glanced up at the clock and saw it was half past eight, and they were pretty much finished anyway. "Okay, I think that's it for the day, unless anyone else has any items?" She asked, before continuing as the other three shook their heads in the negative. "Okay, well, have a good day and let's get to it."

All four teachers stood and exited the office, Eddie and Melissa hand in hand in front of Tom and Rachel. Rachel was almost out of the office door when Tom stopped her and shut the door, leaving the pair in Rachel's office. "Rachel, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Tom. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just…" Tom trailed off looking uncertain before gathering up his courage once more. "I know you like Eddie. I'm just wondering how you can stand to see him with Melissa."

"I-I don't know what you're-"

"I hated Davina being with Jack, especially when she was thinking of going to Dubai with him." Tom reminded Rachel with a sad smile as he placed a hand on Rachel's arm. "I'm not saying you need to do something or whatever, but I'm here if you need me. You've helped Chlo so much, and I don't know how you managed it. I owe you so much."

"It was nothing, Tom." Rachel played it off but Tom shook his head.

"No, something you've said has got Chlo's head screwed back on. She gets this faraway look before she kind of smiles and gets her head back down working. She even told me she reckons she can pass her A levels and get to uni at this point. You've done more in one conversation than I've managed in a year."

Rachel sighed but shook her head. "Don't worry about it Tom. You've got yourself a good kid there, one who'll go as far as she chooses to." She opened the door and the pair stepped out and into the outer office where Bridget smiled at her in greeting, which she gladly returned. "Now, I've got a student to show around. Alia will be in your form by the way, Tom."

"Alright, I'll look out for the kid, Rachel." Tom walked off to his classroom as Rachel stepped out of the outer office, smiling automatically when she saw Alia perched on the window sill, earphones in and staring out of the window.

"Ali." Rachel said, moving towards her daughter as Alia's head turned quickly to see Rachel stood before her. Alia took out her earphones and put them in her blazer pocket along with her phone, which had been put on silent.

"Rach." Alia returned in a voice just above a whisper, sure to get lost in the bustling crowds of students, but just loud enough to be heard by the woman it addressed.

"Ready for that tour?"

Alia jumped off the window sill onto the ground and picked up her bag. "Sure."

"Well then, let's go."

 **TBC?**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N): So, I know I have other fics to be getting on with, but this chapter was already written up, so I figured I'd post it. It was supposed to be up earlier, as were new chapters for the other ones, but I have somehow ended up with less time than I did before. I'm not sure how it happened, but it did. Ah well. A big thank you to all who reviewed, favourited and followed. You're the best! Oh, and as a side note, the thing with the Skype later in the chapter, I have no idea if it is indeed possible, but for the sake of this fic it is. You'll understand what I mean after you've read it. Hopefully.**

 **I don't own anything, as per usual.**

 **HeavenSkye x**

 **What The Heart Wants**

 **Chapter 5**

Ten minutes later, the tour was complete and Rachel delivered Alia to her form room, which was also Tom's classroom. "Okay, this is your form room, with Mr Clarkson. Philip's in there too, if that helps. Ali, you'll be fine, I know it." She told the teenager, who looked a little nervous, but nowhere near as terrified as she had first walking into the school. Rachel knocked on the door and opened it, as about half the form class was there, as was Tom.

"Mr Clarkson, here is your newest addition, Alia Falan. Alia, this is your form tutor and English teacher, Mr Clarkson."

"I know, I met him earlier." Alia responded as she moved into the classroom. "Nice to see you again Mr Clarkson."

"And you, Alia." Tom looked around the classroom, trying to mentally remember where there was a free seat. "Uh, you can sit over there, next to Philip Ryan." He pointed over to Philip, who sat on his own two rows from the back. Alia nodded, throwing Rachel a thankful look before moving over to stand beside Philip's desk, where the boy was gazing out of the window in a daydream and hadn't yet seen Alia.

Rachel nodded to Tom and ducked back out of the room as a few more pupils wandered in. Despite wanting to stay and see how Alia got on in her first class after three years, she knew it was far better to let Alia get on with it, to let her find her own way. With that thought at the forefront of her mind, Rachel wandered back to her office to get some more work done, including the paperwork concerning Alia, such as emergency contacts and the like.

"Can I sit here?" Alia asked, resisting the urge to smirk when Philip jumped at being pulled out of his daydream.

"Uh sure." Philip moved his bag from the spare seat as Alia sat down, setting her bag at her feet. "Ali, how you doing?" He asked in a much lowered voice, trying not to let anyone else know of the prior connection between the pair.

"I'm fine Phil." Alia responded in a similar tone. "It's hard, but I'm dealing with it. Rach is so happy, I can't let her down."

"She'll love you no matter what."

"Uh huh." Alia nodded, though she looked a little uncertain. "Well, you wanna come round for tea tonight?"

"Sure, does Aunt Rach mind?"

"She won't, don't worry about it. It'll be fine. Plus, it means you won't have to spend it with your mum and Eddie."

"Eddie's great, but I just…"

"Don't want to spend the time with him, knowing it'll only end in him getting hurt?" Alia finished for him, smiling sadly as Philip nodded. Just then, Bolton Smilie and Paul Langley sloped in, five minutes late as always, making their way to the desk behind Philip and Alia. Bolton stopped short at the sight of the new girl sat beside Philip, hitting Paul's arm to make him notice too.

"Philip, who's the girl?" Bolton asked, making the pair look up, Philip with a little wonder and chagrin in his face and Alia simply curious.

"Uh, this is Alia. Alia, this is Bolton and Paul." Philip introduced. Alia nodded, smiling up at the pair.

"Bolton Smilie, at your service. That's Paul Langley." Bolton made a mock bow, at which Alia raised her eyebrows.

"Alia Falan." Alia returned evenly as Tom cleared his throat, making Bolton and Paul move reluctantly to their seats.

"Okay, form, we've got a new girl joining us; Alia Falan. Anyway, let's get on with the register, and then we've got to go through the announcements for the week, alright?" Tom moved to pick up the register and Alia let out a long silent sigh. The day had only just begun, and she could already feel it dragging on.

…

Break time arrived at a snail's pace for Alia, who had spent a very boring double lesson in science, alternating between doodling in her exercise book and staring out of the window. She'd been working her own way along the GCSE syllabus at home, and had gotten further along than the rest of the class had, which had been the main reason she'd been so bored. She had ended up making a few friends, as the Year 11 top set also had a few A level group students that were retaking the GCSE or wanted extra background on the work they were doing for their A levels. She'd found that Janeece was very talkative, as was Michaela. Philip hadn't been in the same set as Alia, so she'd kept to herself for the most part.

"Hey, Alia, come and meet Chlo and Maxine." Janeece exclaimed as she rushed up to Alia's side, grabbing the younger girl's arm and pulling her over to where Chlo and Maxine sat atop a low wall, talking and sharing a packet of crisps. "Hey guys, this is Alia Falan, from the GCSE science set. Alia, this is Chlo Charles and Maxine Barlow."

Chlo's head shot up at hearing Alia's name, and she stared closely at the girl, noticing a few characteristics that were the same as that of her headmistress along with the posture the girl had. It had to be the Alia Rachel had told her about. She gave Alia a warm smile. "Hi, Alia, I'm Chlo. Max, say hi." She nudged Maxine, who glanced at Alia and waved, her mouth chock full of crisps. Alia smiled back at the pair as they all fell into easy conversation, even if Chlo did send her the odd look of surprise and confusion.

…

Third lesson was Maths with Mr Lawson, and Alia made her way to the classroom with Chlo as a guide, eager to make up her own mind about the deputy head that had her mum's heart unknowingly. Chlo sent Alia a smile as they paused outside the door to Eddie's classroom. "You'll be fine, Ali." Chlo assured her softly. "Mr Lawson's nice."

"Thanks, Chlo. You going to the library?"

"Yeah, French essay's due tomorrow, and Haydock'll have it for me if I don't get it done." Chlo sighed dramatically, though she was smiling as one hand drifted to her stomach. Alia's eyes followed the movement as the younger girl smiled knowingly.

"How long?" She asked quietly, causing Chlo's eyes to snap to hers. Chlo sighed and shrugged.

"About a month. Only Tom and Donte know, so can you just…" Chlo trailed off as Alia nodded. Chlo had deliberately left Rachel out of the list of people who knew, simply because she didn't know for sure if Alia was Rachel's daughter or not, and didn't want anything to slip out by mistake.

"Of course. I won't say a word. I better get in there then." Alia smiled thankfully at Chlo again before turning and walking into the classroom as Chlo walked further down the corridor to the library.

Alia walked up to the front of the room where Eddie stood, his back to her as he wrote a starter activity on the board. Clearing her throat hesitantly, she watched as he jumped before turning quickly to see her stood in front of his desk warily. "Uh, hi, I'm Alia Falan. New kid." She added as an aside, the corners of her mouth turning up into a half smile.

Eddie felt himself smile automatically in response to Alia's words. Not many kids would label themselves on their first day, or do it in such a matter-of-fact manner either. He nodded. "Mr Lawson, though I think I introduced myself earlier this morning." He replied candidly before gesturing to a seat halfway down the class. "Can you sit there?"

Alia nodded and moved to sit in the seat he'd pointed out as the last stragglers strolled into the classroom and sat down. She stifled the urge to roll her eyes as Eddie told the class they'd be studying Pythagoras' theorem and possible exam questions for the topic. She'd learnt that particular topic about five months earlier, and so she anticipated another boring lesson.

…

Eddie clenched his jaw as he glanced at Alia, who was slumped in her seat, doodling in the margin of her exercise book. He'd kept glancing at her throughout the forty-five minutes that the lesson had been going on for; worried about her ability to keep up with the class work, but instead he'd given himself a headache trying not to yell at her out of irritation. She had alternated between watching whatever was out of the window, and doodling in the margins of her book, and Eddie was irritated that she didn't seem at all interested in the work he'd provided. He came to a stop by her desk, his looming form making her look up reluctantly.

"I suppose you've already finished all fifteen questions, Miss Falan?" He asked sarcastically. Alia blinked up at him, flipping from the back of the book where she'd been doodling to the front, where her perfectly presented answers to the fifteen questions were written, all correct to three decimal places.

"Uh, yes sir." She answered slowly, pointing at her book. Eddie picked it up, his eyes quickly scanning through her answers. It irritated him even more that she hadn't a single thing wrong with her work, even if ordinarily it would make his day to have someone that got everything right. He scowled, putting her book down and walking to the front of the class, ignoring the muted snickers of the pupils that had heard his conversation with the brunette teenager. Growling internally, he turned back to face the class and demanded answers to the questions to be read aloud, relaxing a little when Alia didn't put forward an answer, needing that little extra time to calm down. Needless to say, Eddie was extremely thankful when the bell rang and the class filed out, including Alia, who sent him a small smirk on her way out.

…

Dinner time came and went, and all too soon it was the end of the school day. Alia said a quick goodbye to Chlo, Janeece and another two girls called Georgia and Katie before walking home alone. After Eddie's Maths class, she'd had double Art, which had soothed her and allowed her to get lost in her work, the teacher leaving her alone enough that Alia didn't feel crowded. Alia allowed herself a small smile. Despite her misgivings about school and going back into education after three years out, she'd almost enjoyed herself, and she'd made friends, something she hadn't exactly worried about, but it had wriggled its way in as a potential nervous moment anyway. Of course, she knew most of the pupils' backgrounds from conversations with Rachel over the last year, but Alia preferred finding things out for herself.

She pulled out her phone and fired off a quick text. She'd already texted Rachel to let her mum know that she was walking home and that Philip was coming round for tea.

 _To: J_

 _Hey, fancy getting ice-cream with me soon? A x_

She put her phone away and carried on walking, getting onto the front drive of her house before she received a reply.

 _From: J_

 _You bet! Meet you tomorrow at 4? P.S. Sam's on chat now. J x_

 _To: J_

 _Thanks. See you tomorrow. A x_

Alia rushed inside the house, barely remembering to shut the door and hang up her keys before she threw her bag down at the bottom of the stairs and slung her blazer over the banister of the stairs and rushed into the living room, where she'd last left her laptop. Firing it up, she quickly found her Skype and opened it up. Selecting a military secured device as her chat destination, she waited impatiently as it rang, excitement bubbling up inside her as the chat was accepted and the background of the inside of a camouflaged tent came into view, with a man in army gear sat in the foreground, grinning widely at the screen.

"Little Ali!" He greeted cheerily. "I haven't seen you in forever, Princess." He smirked as Alia rolled her eyes.

"Hey Sam, Jack told me you were online. It's good to see you too." Alia smiled. Sam was her godfather, and had been her dad's best friend, and probably would had been best man if her parents had ever actually gotten married, as Sam himself liked to brag on many occasions.

"I can see you're doing alright for yourself, Princess." Sam's voice softened as he watched the girl he considered a daughter carefully. "How's your mum?"

"Rachel's fine. She's finishing up some paperwork before coming home." Alia told him, ignoring the way he called her Princess. Sam had called her that ever since she was three years old and had told everyone on the base at the time that she was going to be a princess, and that no-one could stop her. From that moment, Sam had taken to calling her princess, and had never stopped.

"Oh? Alright, I will have to embarrass Rach at some other time then." Sam teased, making Alia laugh. Sam's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the tie hanging loosely round Alia's neck. "Alia, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When did you start going back to school?" Sam asked cautiously. Alia sighed.

"Since today. Rach asked me to. It's kind of a long story.

Sam glanced at something over the computer screen before redirecting his gaze to Alia. "I have about an hour or so until I'm needed. I'm on night patrol right now. Why don't you start at the beginning?"

…

Rachel let herself into the house about three quarters of an hour after Alia, stooping a little under the weight of paperwork she'd brought home with her. Her daughter's laugh made her drop the bags and rush to the living room, where she found her daughter sat on the couch with her back to the door, talking to Sam on the laptop. Rachel smiled. Sam had been James' best friend, and as a result, Sam and Rachel had become close friends too, with both of them having the same top priority: Alia.

"Hey, Rach, long time no see!" Sam called out, making her smile as Alia turned in her seat to look at her.

"Hey Sam, still in Afghanistan?" Rachel asked as she came to sit down beside Alia.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, but I'm coming home soon. This is my third stretch out here and they've agreed that I can do community work near you guys after I finish out here. Just five more weeks." A call from outside the webcam's vision made Sam alert and he cast apologetic eyes to the two females on screen. "Sorry, I have to go."

"Stay safe, Sam." Rachel called, making Sam nod distractedly as he stood up.

"Will do. See you soon, Rach, Princess." And with those final words, the connection went dead and the main screen popped back up. Alia closed the laptop slowly, turning watery eyes to Rachel.

"He'll be okay, right mum?"

Rachel pulled Alia in for a comforting hug. "Of course he will, love. He's an idiot, but he's not stupid. He'll come back to you, I promise."

"You can't make that kind of promise. That's like a pastry promise; easily made, easily broken." Alia clarified at Rachel's puzzled look. Rachel shook her head.

"I can because I know Sam will make it home. Ali, this won't be like your dad."

"And how do you know that?"

"I can just tell, sweetheart." Rachel pressed a kiss to Alia's forehead. "Now then, what shall we have for tea if Phil's coming round?"

 **TBC?**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N): Hey guys! So, this fic is the only one I've really had the time for, just because the geography of everything is so much easier for me, though it took a while for me to realise that the tram service wasn't in Rochdale back then haha. Oh, for those who don't know, when I say 'Town', I mean Manchester. I wasn't going to put it in, but I remembered in season 3, when Mika and Brett went to get a pregnancy test, they said they'd 'nip into town' and they went to the Trafford Centre, so I thought I'd go with it. Sorry, bit of a random babble.**

 **Also, for those of you who really wanted to meet Jack, you will in this chapter! Woo hoo, right? Anyways, thank you for all the reviews, even the guest ones that were nothing more than 'update please', for they are all very much appreciated. I don't own Waterloo Road, and never will do, I am afraid. I hope you like this chapter. Oh, yes, any and all mistakes are mine and mine alone.**

 **What The Heart Wants**

 **Chapter 6**

Later that night, long after Philip had both arrived and gone back home after having tea and spending some quality time with his aunt and cousin outside of the school surroundings, Alia sat in a curled up position on the couch, staring almost blankly out of the window into the front driveway. Rachel walked into the room wearing her pyjamas, blinking a little before sitting down gently beside her daughter.

"Ali, what's wrong?" She asked the teenager softly, careful not to raise her tone. Alia had never really responded well to orders or yelling. Alia never took her eyes from the window, hazel orbs staring intently at the scenery.

"Nothing, Rach, really. I thought I saw something outside, but I think it was just the wind." Alia responded slowly, eyes still transfixed outside on something that Rachel couldn't see. "At least, I hope it's just the wind."

Rachel placed a hand on Alia's arm, jolting the teenager a little out of her own world. "Sweetheart, there's nothing out there. It's gone midnight. Come on, it's time for bed." Rachel stood and pulled Alia up too as the fifteen year old finally tore her eyes away from the front yard and nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Okay, sorry." Alia climbed the stairs, Rachel following her, stopping when she reached the door for her room. "Night, mum."

"Night, Alia."

…

The alarm clock woke Alia the following morning, and she hit it to turn it off, moaning quietly about the lack of sleep she'd gotten as she rolled completely out of the bed, falling straight to the floor with a harsh thud. Picking herself gingerly up from the floor, she grabbed her uniform and a towel and rushed for the shower, hoping it would wake her up more.

Rachel woke to the sound of a thud from Alia's room. As she tried her best to clear her sleep fogged mind, she heard the sound of the shower starting up, and knew that she wouldn't actually have to wake Alia up that morning. Rachel rolled over in her bed, reluctant to get up. She had a paperwork full day, and she had to put up with Melissa and Eddie on top of that. How she wished she hadn't rejected Eddie that first night of term, then maybe things would be different. Oh, she was still angry that he got with her sister so soon after calling her special, but she was more upset that he didn't think her special enough to wait for.

A knock on the bedroom door made Rachel look up as Alia poked her head in, wet haired and fully dressed. "You don't look too good." She commented blandly. "Maybe you should have a sick day, you know, to get yourself together."

"I can't." Rachel made herself get out of bed, ignoring Alia's smirk. "The kids need me there."

"Alright. If you say so. We've got half an hour before we have to leave." Alia closed the door behind her, leaving Rachel alone once more, but the older woman still heard the yell from down the hallway. "You're welcome!"

Rachel couldn't help but smile as she found clothes to wear that day. She knew Alia had manipulated her into getting dressed and going to school, but she didn't mind, for it meant that Alia wanted to go to school too, and that meant more to Rachel than being manipulated by her fifteen year old.

…

Rachel knew deep down that her daughter's seemingly good behaviour was too good to last very long. Surprisingly, it was Philip to first tell Rachel about his cousin's behaviour. At break time, there was a tentative knock on Rachel's door, before Philip stuck his head in. Rachel was alone, thankfully, and Philip slipped in, closing the door softly behind him.

"Philip, what's wrong?" Rachel asked, concerned with his odd behaviour. A chill ran down her spine at the thought of what else the boy could confess about his mother or anyone else, considering the massive secret he was already carrying in regards to Melissa's marital status.

"It wasn't her fault, Rach." Philip told her earnestly, only to look a little sheepish when he realised his aunt didn't know what he was talking about. Rachel quickly escorted him to the sofa and sat him down gently.

"Philip, you're going to have to explain to me. What wasn't whose fault?"

"Well," Philip shifted nervously. "It was Ali. Well, not really Ali but…"

"Start from the beginning."

"Well, I have French with Ali, y'know, and we were all pretty quiet when Miss Haydock asked Ali a question, but Ali's already pretty fluent in French, right? I mean, it's in her file and that, yeah?"

"Right, carry on Phil." Rachel prompted, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of her stomach as her brain immediately conjured a dozen different scenarios that could cause a terrible reaction from either Alia or Steph, and land the teenager in a heap of trouble.

"Uh, anyway, Miss asked her a question that even a year 7 kid could answer, about a colour, totally condescending, and Ali got really offended by it, so she responded a little… rudely, I guess."

"Phil, what did she say?"

"Well, I'm not that good, even though Ali taught me a bit two years ago, but I caught something along the lines of, 'it's pink, you idiot, and I'm not an infant, so who are you to…' She kinda sped up then and I lost track of it, but it sounded insulting, and then Miss sent her straight to the cooler for the rest of the lesson without even responding or telling us what she'd said." Philip finished hurriedly.

Rachel sighed, putting her head in her hands. She knew that Alia's aunt, who was a linguist that lived on the same base as James had, had taught Alia to be fluent in both French and Spanish, but whilst most would stop at what was polite, Alia's aunt had taught her everything, including how to swear and put people back in their place, with a generally insulting air to it. She had expected that Alia's language skills would get her into trouble one day, what she hadn't expected was that it would be through mouthing off to a teacher. She placed a hand on Philip's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"Thanks Phil. I knew she'd get in trouble one day for it."

Philip stood and nodded. "Who taught her all that, Aunt Rach?"

"Her aunt, Gabrielle Falan, did, against both my and her father's better judgements." Rachel sighed again. "Go on off to your break, and I'll sort this out, alright?"

"Alright, just don't be too harsh on her, Rach, please." Philip left hurriedly, and Rachel barely had time to put a thought together before there was another knock on the door and Steph flounced in, looking furious.

"You'll never believe what that new girl has done!" She exclaimed with a dramatic hand gesture that had Rachel lifting an eyebrow in response. "She's only gone and mouthed off in front of the entire class! I had no choice but to send the little madam to the cooler!"

"Oh? What did she say?" Rachel asked calmly as she walked out of the office towards the cooler, Steph on her heels, pretending that she knew nothing of the encounter.

"She was generally rude throughout the lesson, but I put it down to nerves and left it. Then I asked her a simple question to try and help her, and she starts mouthing off that she's not an idiot or an infant, and why am I trying to belittle her when she can speak better than me and that my lessons are a load of crap!" Steph told Rachel hurriedly as they approached the cooler.

Glancing in, Rachel saw that Alia was sitting alone at the back of the room, despite there being no teacher there to supervise, feet up on the table and earphones in, appearing to be doodling in a notebook, though Rachel knew that it was really Alia's composition notebook, meaning she was either writing lyrics or composing bars. If she had to guess, Rachel would probably choose the former as being more likely.

Rachel stormed into the room and over to the back of the classroom, rapping sharply on the desk to get Alia to look up, the girl reluctantly taking out her earphones at the sight of Rachel and the French teacher stood in front of her, closing her notebook and putting it away in her school bag. "Yes?" Alia asked politely, almost mockingly, trying to ignore the disappointment that was all too clear in her mother's hazel eyes.

Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but Steph cut her off. "Why did you stay in here? There's no teacher to supervise. You could've walked out at any time." Steph commented with a confused frown.

Alia frowned in return. "I was told to wait here until the lesson finished and you brought the head to see me." She said slowly, confused as to why Steph was confused.

Rachel cleared her throat, a little amused but not willing to show it. Once glance at Alia told her that the teenager already knew she wasn't all that angry with her. "So, I heard you mouthed off to Miss Haydock in class, Alia. Why?"

"She treated me like I was stupid, which I'm not." Alia pointed out.

"Hang on, missy, I was trying to help you!" Steph broke in.

"How? By making me look stupid?"

"What are you talking about? I just didn't want it to seem as though you knew no French whatsoever!"

"I'm _fluent_ in French!" Alia bit back the swear words that were far too tempting for her at that moment. "Miss Haydock, I'm sorry for what I said, but you really should've read my file first, or at least the basics. French is going to be an easy GCSE for me, I confess. I just really don't like being treated as though I'm thick when I'm not."

"Alright, Alia, please go and enjoy what's left of your break, and there better not be a repeat of this behaviour."

"I'll try my best, r-Miss." Alia agreed, hightailing out of the room as soon as she could. Rachel turned to Steph.

"I think you both got your wires crossed a little, Steph, which is why I'm not punishing her further. Any more infractions and she'll be in detention, I assure you, but for now, I think you should give each other a chance."

…

Alia sighed in relief when it was dinner time, and she could wander at her own pace to the canteen. After break, and the disappointed look Rachel had given her, Alia had been determined not to let her temper get the better of her again, no matter how hard it was to try and keep her cool. She'd done fairly well in English, though she'd then had to try and avoid everything in music as much as possible, especially when the teacher, Mr Wilding, kept trying to get her to either sing or play an instrument, both of which Alia vehemently protested against. She didn't want anyone at the school finding out who she was, at least, not yet. It had taken some tricky evasions, but she'd managed to get out of it all, and sat back, listening rather than participating.

Grabbing a chicken sandwich and a Coke, before paying Candice with a small smile and slipping out of the canteen and onto the school playground, finding a lone tree to sit under and eat. School was harder than she'd thought it would be, and on top of that, she had yet to find the marriage documents proving that her aunt was a bigamist. She quickly checked her phone, but there were no new messages. Alia then pulled out a few sheets of paper she'd copied information down from the school computers onto, making sure she masked her internet footprints as she went. She knew exactly where to go, and the best time to go as well; she just needed a couple more days to iron out a few more details.

Sighing, she settled back against the tree trunk, gazing up at the slightly cloudy sky. Whilst Rochdale wasn't the best place she could be spending all her time in, there was no place she'd rather be.

…

Rachel smiled in genuine amusement as Eddie spilt a little mayonnaise onto his tie from his sandwich. She handed him a tissue silently and watched as he mopped it up. He grinned sheepishly back. "Where was I?" He asked.

"Michael." Rachel supplied.

"Ah yeah, well, next week and the week after, he's staying with me, while Alison goes on holiday with her boyfriend."

"Well, that's good isn't it? At least you see him now." Rachel said positively, making Eddie smile at the optimism in her voice, something that he'd noticed had been severely lacking since she'd come back to the school after the fire.

"Yeah, it is. Thank you again, Rachel."

"Oh, no thanks necessary. You already bought me a present for that." Rachel gestured to her bookshelves, where her copy of _Crime and Punishment_ rested. Eddie grinned.

"Believe me, it's a thank you that needs repeating. It is thanks to you that I see my little boy now, even if the way everything was sorted out was a bit…"

"Weird?" Rachel supplied, sending them both into a fit of laughter as they remembered that day, and how it took Rachel to talk Alison round into talking properly to Eddie, and the wary respect the two women had for one another.

"Yeah. Anyway, how's your day been?" Eddie asked as he finished his sandwich and crumpled up the wrapper. Rachel sighed, finding the urge to talk about her daughter too great, even if she didn't really want to tell Eddie the entire truth just yet, especially with her and Melissa's mother supposedly arriving the next day. She'd rather that Fiona knew nothing whatsoever about Alia.

"Well, Steph's already had a good moan." Rachel began hesitantly, unsure how far to take it, really, unsure of Eddie, and how much she could trust him. She wanted to, dearly, but she was complicated, and it took a lot for her to bestow her trust, yet one small act could break it.

"Oh? What about?"

"Ah, Alia Falan." Rachel opened her mouth to continue, but Eddie beat her to it.

"Ah yeah, the new kid. She's got a right gob on her, that one." Rachel felt herself frowning, wanting to correct Eddie and yell at him for daring to say something bad about her child, just managing to stop herself in time, allowing Eddie to carry on. "I noticed all she does is doodle or watch stuff out the window."

"So she doesn't do the work?" Rachel asked.

"Well…" Eddie flushed red. "That's not… Yeah, she does the work, but that's what makes it so frustrating! She just doesn't try, and yet everything's perfect!"

"So, the problem…?" Rachel prompted, feeling confused as to where Eddie was leading her to.

"The problem is that she doesn't care, Rach. Some of the kids try so hard, and yet she's just… not interested. I dunno, it just winds me up."

"Ah, well, you and Steph both. Neither of you read the file, it seems." Rachel smiled softly, the same expression she usually wore whilst talking about Alia, though Eddie didn't know that. "Eddie, Alia finds maths very easy, and she loves it even if she won't show it. She's also fluent in French, which Steph didn't bother to ascertain before trying to give Alia a year 7 level question. Maybe you should give her a chance." Rachel finished, flushing red in turn as she realised the rant she'd descended into, though it caused Eddie to smile in return, happy that something had clicked in his favourite person that had shown her passion for the kids and the school, even on such slight a subject.

"Alright, I can give her another chance, I guess." Eddie agreed, and they both descended into more trivial matters for the rest of lunchtime.

…

After school, Alia was one of the first pupils to rush out of the school gates, though whilst most of the kids were going home, she slipped round the corner and shoved her school blazer and tie into her school bag, pulling out a leather jacket she adorned instead before making her way to the nearest bus stop, rooting through her bag to find her System One Travelcard that she used for both the bus and the train whenever she had to make quick journeys.

A bus pulled up two minutes later and she quickly climbed on, standing due to little room left thanks to the school day rush, and rode the bus into the town centre, where she found the train station and caught a train into Town, where she'd agreed to meet Jack.

Walking out of Piccadilly train station and through Piccadilly Gardens, it didn't take long for her to find the little café that sold some of the best ice cream, in Alia's opinion, and she quickly sat down at a tiny corner table, school bag between her feet and phone in her hand as she sent off a quick text whilst she waited.

 _To: Rach_

 _Hey, it's me. I'll probably be home later than you, meeting Jack in Town. He probably won't be coming for tea, don't worry. It'll be just me. Hope you had a good day, Ali x_

Alia put her phone away as someone approached her table. It was a boy about fifteen, with long black shaggy hair that fell into his piercing sapphire eyes, wearing a pair of black jeans with a white t-shirt and black trainers. He grinned lazily at her as he slumped into the opposite seat at the table.

"Hey, Ali. Long time, no see." He greeted warmly. Alia smiled widely at him.

"Hey Jack. I hope you don't mind meeting me."

"Nah, anything for you, Li, you know that." Jack waved it off before his easy expression faded, replaced by worry as he leant forwards in his seat. "Alia, what's wrong? What do you have planned?" He rolled his eyes as Alia tried her best at an innocent expression. "Don't even try it with me; I know you too well for that. What is it?"

Alia sighed. "You remember my cousin, Philip?"

"Awkward kid? Didn't really fit in?" Jack checked.

"Yeah, that's him, though he's really sweet where family's concerned." Alia defended. "Anyway, his mother, my Aunt Mel, has a new boyfriend, and it's a little too serious for either my or Phil's liking."

"Okay. What do we need to do?"

"Steal her marriage records." Alia admitted in a low voice, careful not to be overheard. "Jack, I can't do this alone, and you're the only person I can trust with this. You know that."

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment. "You've planned it all out? Meticulously?"

"Every detail and contingency plan." Alia confirmed.

"When were you planning on doing this?"

"Next Thursday."

"Alibis?"

"Both of us were at home with Rach."

Jack pursed his lips a little in thought before nodding decisively. "Alright, I'm in. You'd do the same for me, and we've always been a team. Can I stay at yours Wednesday and Thursday night?"

"I'll check with Rachel, but I'm sure it'll be fine." Alia stood, hesitating for a moment before leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to Jack's lips. "I'll see you this weekend, your place?"

"Looking forward to it, sunshine." Jack confirmed with a smirk. "Get home safe."

"Yep you too. See you, Jack."

"See you, love."

 **TBC?**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N): So, I had a sudden burst of inspiration for this story, and my brain is absolutely chock full of ideas for this, though I think part of that is because I love Waterloo Road and Reddie so very much. The programme actually reminds me of my secondary school, though I confess without the guns or crazy policemen haha. I recall a time when we set the clock forwards to get out of lesson early, and then thirty of us had to run out of the school with a teacher chasing after us because we'd been caught! Then again, I think everything was nicked if it wasn't nailed down, haha.**

 **Still, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the next chapter should have the start of Alia and Jack's grand adventure in stealing the marriage records of Melissa's, and I'm thinking of including Rachel's birthday in this fic, even if there is no specific date ever mentioned for it. I still don't own Waterloo Road, and please tell me what you think!**

 **HeavenSkye x**

 **What The Heart Wants**

 **Chapter 7**

The following morning, Rachel and Alia sat listlessly at the kitchen counter, picking at their respective pieces of toast. Neither particularly wanted to go in that morning, knowing that Rachel's and Melissa's mother, Fiona, would be there from break onwards. Rachel was simply thankful that Fiona hadn't insisted on staying with her, something which the auburn haired woman knew she would never do, and Alia would hate it as well. Rachel knew that out of her parents, Alia only liked her father, and hated her mother, despite the two having never even met. Alia hated her for one reason, and that was how Fiona treated Rachel.

Alia's mobile rang, and she rushed to pick it up, eager for any distraction that morning, not bothering with the ID as she pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

" _Ali, its Philip. I don't have much time."_

"Phil, what's wrong?"

" _It's Gran. She came early. She's sat in our living room now."_

"What?" Alia asked in shock, sinking back down into her chair. "Shit. Does that mean she's coming in with you and Aunt Mel?"

" _And Eddie. Can I nip round to yours and come into school with you and Aunt Rach?"_

"Well…"

" _Oh, please, Ali! She's only been here five minutes and I've already been criticised fifteen times."_

Alia sighed. "Fine, but you need to get here within fifteen minutes or we're leaving without you."

" _Thanks, Ali. See you in ten."_

"See you later, Phil." Alia hung up and threw her phone back to rest next to Rachel's on the counter, along with both female's bags and Rachel's car keys. Rachel glanced at her daughter curiously.

"What did Phil want, love?"

"To warn us. The Wicked Witch of the West caught an earlier train." Alia informed her reluctantly, wincing as Rachel stiffened at the knowledge that her mother was already in Rochdale. "He's coming round so he doesn't have to go to school with her, Mel and Eddie."

Rachel sighed, a lone tear slipping down her face that she hurriedly wiped away. "Alright. Have you made any headway on the other little thing?"

"Yeah. Jack's staying with us on Wednesday and Thursday night next week. We'll be going out on Thursday, if that's alright."

Rachel managed a small smile. "You and Jack are practically attached at the hip, so I should've known you'd ask him to help. Jack's always welcome here; you know that."

Alia grinned. "Thanks, Rach, Jack loves you too." She teased, sticking her tongue out at her mother. Rachel laughed, sticking her own tongue out in return.

"Jack's like a second child to me. He'd have to be, the amount of times he's stayed over with us."

"I know." Alia jumped up at the sound of the doorbell. "That'll be Philip. And don't worry so much, mum. Everything will be okay."

…

Eddie couldn't wait to get out of the car, practically diving out of the passenger seat as soon as the car stopped moving. Mel's mother, Fiona Fenshaw, had been in the back seat, constantly talking the entire way there. It didn't help that she alternated between praising Melissa to high heaven and then speaking so badly of her other daughter, Amanda, that it made Eddie torn between throwing up in disgust and yelling at the vain, self-centred woman then and there for daring to say anything bad about Rachel.

He hurried up the front steps after seeing that her car was already parked up and almost ran up the stairs and into the head's office, where Rachel sat doing paperwork. She looked up as he slammed her office door closed. "Oh, hi Eddie. What's wrong?"

Eddie flopped down onto the couch, looking exhausted. "Is she always like that?"

"Who?"

"Mel's mum." He said, a little concerned about whether or not he could also say that she was Rachel's mother. All the colour left Rachel's face and she set down her pen before her hands started shaking too badly.

"She's talking shit again, isn't she?"

"Yeah. Listen, Rach…"

"She disowned me." Rachel interrupted, needing to tell him at least some of it, needing to let some of her story out to the one person she trusted most, other than Alia. At that moment, it didn't even matter to her that the man had practically broke her heart. She just knew he would listen. "That was when I became a prostitute. I needed the cash to help Mel out with something, I can't remember what, and in return, that woman disowned me and made my dad do the same. She made me pick between ludicrous choices, putting me in a ridiculous position, and when I refused to choose, she told me I was dead to her. I left that same day and never looked back. I returned two years later because Mel needed my help again, but I left as soon as I had helped her, and went back to my flat, where I promptly did a runner." Rachel laughed self depreciatively. "I knew my pimp would kill me if I tried to leave the honest way, so I ran away again, this time to my Grandfather, who lived the other side of London to where I had been staying at the time. He helped me change my name and retake my A levels as Rachel Mason rather than Amanda Fenshaw."

"So, your mum's still disowned you?"

"I went back home to talk to my family a few years later. I've since sorted things out with my dad, but my mum refused to believe she did anything wrong, and still treats me as she did when I was a child. Oh, and my parents are divorced, by the way, so it will probably be best if you don't mention him to her. For your sake."

"So everything I've just heard her saying…"

"Are things that I've heard her say every single day of my childhood." Rachel confirmed, taking in a shaky breath. Eddie stood up, concerned, and made his way over to her, holding her hand and leaning on the desk beside her.

"Oh, Rach. I'm sorry. Would she say anything? I mean, does she know you're the head here?"

Rachel shook her head. "I don't think so, well, not yet at least. Why?"

"Do you think she'd try to badmouth you to the pupils, like try and tell them that you were a prostitute?"

Rachel let out a shaky laugh. "She'd have a shock if she did. The pupils all know and don't care, remember?"

"I remember." Eddie used his free hand to rub Rachel's back, much as he did when trying to calm his son down when he was upset.

Alia poked her head in the door, not bothering to knock, before abruptly removing her head from the room and closing the door quietly. It had looked as though they were in the middle of a moment, and Alia would do her absolute best to make sure they weren't disturbed.

Eventually, Eddie had to get to his first class, and Rachel had to get back to paperwork. Stepping out of the office, he found Alia sat on the window sill just outside the outer office, looking bored as she swung her legs back and forth idly.

"Alia Falan, shouldn't you be in form?"

"I had to see Miss Mason about something, but you two were busy, so I left you to it."

"I- we weren't…" Eddie stuttered, turning red. Alia sent him a small smile.

"I know you weren't, Mr Lawson. I just didn't think other people would see it that way, so I kept them all away from the office." Alia jumped off the window sill, once again landing on her feet, and picked up her bag. "I better head to form. Oh, and Mr Lawson?"

"Yes, Miss Falan?"

"I didn't see a thing." Alia winked at him before she walked off down the corridor to Tom's classroom. Eddie shook his head in amusement at the girl and how topsy-turvy she could be as he too walked to his classroom and entered, yelling for the noise to quiet down so he could take the register.

…

For second lesson, Eddie had year eleven maths, which included Alia. Trying to keep Rachel's impassioned words in mind, he attempted to see Alia as Rachel apparently did, and was generally astounded by what he saw. Whenever she thought no-one was looking, she'd write down the answers to any questions set so quickly that Eddie's eyes almost didn't catch it, and she wore a small, content smile as she wrote, as though she genuinely enjoyed herself in working out the problems Eddie had set the class. Once she'd finished and double checked her work, she went back to doodling in the back of her book and looking out of the window, though even then, Eddie could tell she never stopped listening to the lesson.

At the end of the lesson, Eddie dismissed the class but kept Alia behind, ignoring all the "ooooooohh"'s that followed, the other students believing that Alia was in trouble once again. Alia put her book away in her bag but remained seated.

"I'm sorry." Eddie told her quietly as he sat on the desk in front of her. "I misjudged you, Alia."

Alia nodded. "I do like math, Mr Lawson. I just got a little further than this when I was studying from home, that's all."

"I get it, don't worry." Eddie grinned. "Go on, off you go and enjoy your break time. Your work is amazing, Alia. We'll have to show all your fine work to your mum at parent's evening, won't we?"

Alia blinked in shock and seemed to flounder for a moment before sending him a tense smile. "If she shows up, that is."

"You don't think she would?"

Alia shrugged. "Eh, she's busy a lot." She moved towards the door before pausing and turning back to the math teacher. "Mr Lawson, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"Well, say someone called you special, that they really liked you, only, you got scared and pushed them away a little, wanting to see if they'd wait for you, only for the guy to move on within a week, what do you think is going on?" Alia blurted out, hoping that her delivery made Eddie think it was something concerning the teenager, and not specific to himself and Rachel. Eddie smiled a little.

"Then maybe the boy is an idiot, who didn't see what a precious jewel he really had. He's a fool, Alia."

"Yes, you are." Alia murmured as she slipped out of the door and made her way directly to Rachel's office, leaving Eddie alone to his thoughts.

…

Rachel walked into the canteen at dinnertime, Alia not far behind, both dreading seeing Fiona, who they'd both managed to avoid so far. Chlo rushed up to them, almost beaming as she stopped before them. "Miss, my scan's next week and me and Donte are so excited!"

"That's wonderful, Chlo!" Rachel returned warmly, placing a hand on Chlo's arm. "How's your school work going?"

Chlo shrugged. "Its hard work, but I'm getting there, Miss. Tom's helping me with lots, especially English, and Donte does his best too, you know, to support me and that. Miss," Chlo frowned a little, lowering her voice. "Did you have anyone, you know, when you were like me?"

"I had my grandfather, Chlo, but he wasn't much help in regards to coursework and such." Rachel told her softly. "You're lucky that you have so much support, and I think you can do anything you want to do."

Chlo nodded, still beaming as she glanced between Rachel and Alia. "Miss, you know when you told me about… yourself… Is that your Alia?" She asked hurriedly, desperate not to inadvertently reveal Rachel's secret when the headmistress had been so wonderful in helping her out. Rachel gestured for Alia to step forwards, which she did, before sending a smile to Chlo.

"Yeah, Chlo, this is Ali. I'm sure if you need any information about the earlier years, Alia can tell you what it was like from a child's perspective."

Alia nodded. "Sure. I don't remember much, but if I can help in any way…"

Chlo nodded. "Aright. Ali, do you want to sit with us for dinner? I have to rush off after that, to finish my Sociology essay that's due tomorrow."

"Sure." Alia agreed, sending an apologetic look to Rachel. "See you later, Rach."

Rachel smiled as they left, happy that Alia was friends with Chlo, as she could have had so many worse friends than that, and had done when Alia had first moved in. When Alia had only been with Rachel a month, she was out all the time and usually came back at varying hours of early morning, in various levels of sobriety, despite her claims to the contrary, and the fact she was only twelve years old. After three months, it slowly petered out, though the late nights still continued occasionally. Alia was far too focused on her music and her career to mess it up by becoming an alcoholic or shirking her responsibilities.

…

Alia had had a good time eating lunch with Chlo, Donte, Janeece, Marley and Flick. Maxine hadn't been there, and it made Chlo, Janeece and Alia share worried looks. They knew she'd snuck off to be with Earl Kelly, despite Steph's protests about the relationship, and the girls were worried about her. She couldn't see straight where Earl was concerned, and the girls knew that should they try to tell Maxine anything bad in regards to Earl, it would be falling on deaf ears.

Looking up, Alia's eyes widened and she tapped Chlo on the arm to get the blonde girl's attention as she saw a tall, slender, grey haired woman with sharp hazel eyes and a malicious expression walking over to Rachel, who sat with Steph, Kim and Tom. Chlo looked in the same direction as Alia, confused. "What's going on?"

"That's her mum." Alia whispered in return. "She disowned my mum when she was seventeen, you know, when she became a …"

"Prostitute." Chlo finished in a similar whisper. "What's she doing here?"

"I don't know, but it's probably going to be nasty."

"Shall we save her?"

"Are you sure you want to help?"

"Definitely."

"Let's go then."

…

Rachel laughed at a story Steph had been telling about her year nine group that she'd had just before dinner. She was sat with Steph, Kim and Tom, with Davina having only just left so she could sort some of her coursework out to become a fully qualified teacher.

A shadow fell over their table, and Rachel looked up, praying it was one of the students and not who she thought it would be. Unfortunately, her luck wasn't with her, and it was indeed her mother, Fiona Fenshaw, with a guilty looking Melissa a few steps back.

"Amanda, how old you look." Fiona sneered down at her. Rachel took a deep breath before looking round, faking confusion.

"I'm sorry, there's no Amanda here." Rachel returned evenly whilst the other three teachers shared concerned looks, all recalling that Rachel used to be Amanda and wondering who the woman was.

"Fine, _Rachel_ , ugh, such an awful name."

"Grandfather didn't think so." Rachel countered.

"Anyway, darling Melissa tells me you run this dump." Fiona looked around the canteen with open disgust. "What a shock. The school clearly reflects its leadership."

Rachel swallowed a little. "What do you want, Ms Fenshaw?"

"Is that any way to address your mother, Amanda?"

"Rachel." Rachel bit out.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Steph cut in, eyeing the woman warily. Steph may not have liked Rachel very much in the beginning, but Rachel had gotten Steph out of messes that any other head would have thrown her to the wolves for, and the two were tentative friends, so Steph didn't appreciate the way the woman was turning Rachel into a ten year old that needed to be pulled down a few pegs. Steph could practically see the self-confidence in Rachel diminish with every second that the woman was there.

Fiona turned to Steph with a smirk. "Hi, I'm Fiona Fenshaw, _Rachel's_ mother. And you are?"

"Steph Haydock, French teacher." Steph returned in the same tone. Fiona's eyebrow raised slightly, but she made no other indication of having heard Steph's tone of voice as she turned back to Rachel.

"So, Melissa has been so very busy, ah, the work of a teacher is never done. So, you're going to have to show me round this place." Fiona demanded. Steph opened her mouth to defend Rachel when Chlo and Alia appeared at Rachel's side.

"Miss Mason?" Chlo asked, sounding hesitant. Rachel turned to the girls, relief shining in her eyes.

"Yes girls?"

"Uh, we have an idea for an after school club. Can we discuss it with you?" Alia asked, studiously avoiding looking at her grandmother. Rachel nodded and stood up.

"Of course we can. Let's go to my office. Chlo, is Donte coming with you?"

"Ah, no miss. He and Marley were going to have another look at the old van to see if they could get it going in time."

"Alright then, off we go." Rachel ushered the girls out of the canteen quickly, sagging with relief once they were out of sight. "I take it that you two don't really have an after school club in mind?"

Alia and Chlo shook their heads.

"We just wanted to help, miss, that's all." Chlo told her softly. "I don't like that woman. She's awful."

"I hate her too, and she's technically my grandmother." Alia added with a laugh.

"Well, thank you, both of you. Are you going finding your husband now, Chlo?"

"No miss. We're going finding Maxine."

"Ah. Still hanging round with Earl Kelly?" Rachel asked knowingly. The girls nodded. "Right, well, I won't tell Steph for now, but see what you can do? The boy isn't good news."

"We know, Rach. We'll try." Alia and Chlo walked away, leaving Rachel to walk up to her office alone. Instead of going there however, Rachel made her way to the staffroom, knowing she rarely went in there anymore, but also knowing that her mother was less likely to think her in there than her office.

Entering the room, she slumped down into a chair in the corner, resisting the urge to whack her head off the table as Steph hurried in, clearly looking for the head as she spotted Rachel and made a beeline towards her, sitting herself down in the chair next to her. "Rachel."

"What is it, Steph?"

"Is that really your mum?"

"Unfortunately."

"Ah." Steph glanced around before leaning further in. "Rachel, I think your mum is trying to sabotage you."

Rachel frowned. "No, Steph, she's said worse when I was a child. Trust me, it's nothing new."

"It's not that. After Chlo Grainger and Alia Falan got you out of there, she took your seat and began to tell us that you weren't fit to run a school. She said that you were mentally unstable, and a prostitute too, before going off on a rant about it all." Steph confessed as Tom entered the room and joined them in the corner.

"God, that woman is insane." Tom commented as he sat down. "Uh, sorry, Rachel, I didn't mean to…"

"Don't worry about it. She disowned me years ago. I can't stand her either." Rachel assured the other two. "Chlo and Alia just got me out of there in the nick of time."

"Well, I think she's going to be in for a bit of a shock." Tom told her with a reassuring smile. "At least if she tries to tell the kids about you, she won't get the response she's clearly looking for, and the LEA already know about your past too. She can't touch you, Rachel, not really."

"Thanks, both of you. She just gets under my skin a little."

"Well, don't you worry." Steph reached out and squeezed Rachel's hand in comfort. "Everyone's on your side, and she'll get what's coming to her if she speaks to me again."

Tom laughed. "Yeah, she'll talk French until it kills your mum."

Steph whacked Tom on the arm. "Oy, cheeky sod!"

"Can you deny it?"

"Oh, shut it, Tom!"

 **TBC?**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N): Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates on anything recently. I've been super busy with real life. I've got a job that I'm working loads for, uni started back up and I've been to what feels like a million events recently. I really just haven't had the time or the motivation. I have a question for you guys.** _ **Do you like my writing style? Do you think I could write a good book? Like a real fiction book type thing?**_

 **Still, on to this chapter. More bombshells are let loose, but I swear, I** _ **WILL**_ **get to Alia and Jack's less than legal activities in the next chapter. I threw some Reddie moments in there too, as I cant wait to get rid of Mel haha**

 **Still don't own squat, sorry.**

 **Hopefully I'll see you soon,**

 **HeavenSkye x**

 **What The Heart Wants**

 **Chapter 8**

The next two days followed a pattern. Philip would travel to school with his aunt and cousin, preferring their company to his mum's and his grandmother's. Eddie had steered well clear of Melissa after that first morning, not wanting to hear any more vile things from Fiona, or any of Melissa's whining excuses about it. Rachel did her best to avoid Fiona, but in the instances in which she couldn't, she was always rescued by a duo from a list of students consisting mainly of Chlo, Alia, Maxine, Janeece, Donte, Philip, Flick, Marley, Bolton and Paul.

On Friday afternoon, Fiona was supposed to be in Melissa's classroom, watching her teach the adult learners, but the older woman became easily bored, and decided to walk around to see what she could stir up for her eldest daughter. After five minutes of searching, she found the year eleven drama class in the main assembly hall, with half the students on the stage and half on the ground, with the teacher, Matt, directing them in various improvisation exercises.

Fiona cleared her throat, causing the entire class to cease their acting and turn to look at her. "Sorry, I was just trying to get a feel for the school." Fiona claimed. Matt nodded warily, gesturing a few students over and telling the rest to get back to their improvisations.

"I'm sure these kids can tell you a bit." Matt told her. Fiona looked over the students that Matt had called over. Alia and Philip stood in the middle, with Paul on Philip's free side and Bolton on Alia's free side. On the other side of Bolton stood Katie, and on the other side of Paul stood Danielle.

"So… What do you all think of the school?" Fiona started slowly, determined to poison the students against their headmistress. She knew that the easiest way to set the entire student body aflame was to start the rumour off with a few of them, and let speculation do the rest.

"It's just school, innit." Bolton shrugged as the other fifteen to sixteen year olds agreed with him. Fiona smirked.

"Surely there must be something you like."

"Teachers are alright, I guess." Katie mentioned.

"What, all the teachers?" Fiona faked surprise. "What about your headteacher?"

"Miss Mason's cool." Bolton defended instantly, with Alia and Philip nodding firmly, both aware of what their grandmother was most likely to be up to.

"Really? She's a prostitute, dear. Don't you think that having a prostitute run your school is wrong?" Fiona asked sweetly.

"Gran, shut up!" Philip hissed, flushing red in anger. Bolton growled and stepped forwards, ready to punch the woman for daring to spread rumours, only for Alia to physically jump on his back, grabbing his arms and pulling them back to prevent him from being able to use them and get himself into trouble.

"Ssh, just stop. She wants a physical reaction to throw more aspersions on Mason's character. Don't give the ammunition to her." Alia whispered urgently into his ear, making Bolton force himself to relax.

"Thanks, Ali." He murmured, helping Alia to climb off his back and stand back on the ground.

"Ms Fenshaw, I think you should leave now." Alia told her firmly.

Fiona shook her head. "I won't be told what to do by a mere slip of a girl."

"Oh yeah?" Alia laughed, deliberately making the sound sinister as she tied her hair up, fully aware that by doing so, she was exposing a long white scar travelling from the underside of her ear down to her collarbone. "Wanna bet?" She asked dangerously, slowly stalking her way towards Fiona, not even realising that she was being flanked by Bolton and Paul, both trying to make themselves look as menacing as possible. Alia smirked evilly as the three of them backed Fiona up out of the hall and into the corridor as Rachel and Eddie were walking down the corridor together. Fiona blinked a little before turning to the adults and pasting on her best wounded face.

"Oh, Rachel dear, please control these feral children." She said, her voice dripping with false niceness. Alia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, we aren't _feral_. We're just a little rough around the edges." She smirked again. "And you were just leaving."

"Oh no I wasn't young lady."

"Yes, you were." Bolton practically growled.

"Or we spread some rumours of our own." Paul added. Fiona glanced between them all, before fleeing down the corridor back to Melissa's classroom. Alia turned to Rachel, looking apologetic, but she jumped as she felt a finger running down her scar, turning to glare at Bolton, who held his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, Ali, but what the hell happened to you there?" Bolton asked incredulously. Alia blushed self-consciously and untied her hair, allowing it to fall back over her jaw and neck, hiding the scar from view.

"It's nothing." Alia muttered before turning back to Rachel and Eddie. "Uh, sorry about that, miss, sir, but Ms Fenshaw was trying to spread round that you were a prostitute."

Rachel nodded understandingly, though she'd gone pale at the knowledge of how far her mother would go to ruin her life. "Alright, thank you, all three of you. You all better get back to your class."

"Miss, why's she trying to ruin everything to do with you?" Bolton asked.

"I wish I knew, Bolton, I wish I knew." Rachel responded tiredly. "Don't worry, we'll find a solution."

"Alright." Bolton wandered back into the hall with Paul, but Eddie prevented Alia from following the boys.

"Alia, what happened to your neck? Are you in some kind of trouble?" He asked in concern. Alia blinked up at him and shook her head.

"I caught it on a barbed wire fence a few years ago. I'm fine; it just stands out when I tie my hair up. Can I go now?" Alia replied slowly, hazel eyes wide as she internally pleaded for Eddie to believe her. Eddie sighed, but unblocked her way, allowing Alia to rush off back to her lesson. He turned back to Rachel, to find her dialling a number on her phone.

"Hey." Rachel greeted as the line was picked up.

" _Rachie, what's wrong? Is it Ali?"_

Rachel allowed herself a small smile. She enjoyed talking to her father nowadays, especially as it was such a difference to her childhood memories. She knew Eddie couldn't hear the other side of her conversation, but she hoped he'd wait long enough for her to find a plan of action, at least in regards to her mother. "I'm fine, dad. It's Fiona."

" _My ex-wife? What's she done this time?"_

"She's at the school, dad, and she keeps… ugh… She's doing my head in."

" _I seem to have gone back in time."_ Rachel noted that her father sounded vaguely amused. _"How did she even find you?"_

"Mel works here and brought Fiona in with her."

" _Oh, yeah, I warned you not to hire Mel."_

"You and everyone else apparently." Rachel muttered. "What do I do, dad? You've known her longest."

" _It sounds to me like she wants something. But, there's only about a half hour left of school today, so how about I meet you at your home at half past four and we'll figure something out?"_

"That sounds good. I'll see you soon, dad. And thank you."

" _See you soon, Rachie."_

Rachel hung up with a small smile as she turned to Eddie, who seemed amused. "What?" She asked self-consciously.

"Hearing you talk to your dad, makes me think of what you were like as a teen. _'But dad, it's so not fair'_." Eddie mimicked in an attempt to copy Rachel's voice. Rachel snorted in laughter and pushed at his shoulder.

"Stop. I was nothing like that. I bet you were though. _'Why do I have to do this? It's just so not fair'_." Rachel mimicked in return as they continued down the corridor, laughing together and mimicking the other all the way back to Rachel's office.

…

"Grandpa John!"

"Li!" Johnathan Fenshaw lifted up his granddaughter and span her around with a wide smile as Rachel opened the front door for the three of them. "How's my favourite singer in the whole wide world?" He asked as he carried her into the house.

"What are you talking about? She's the only modern singer you know." Rachel corrected teasingly as she closed the door behind them. Johnathan set Alia back on her feet before engulfing Rachel in a tight hug.

"It's good to see you too Rachel. How are you doing?" He asked warmly. Rachel hugged him back, feeling herself relax after the hectic week she'd had.

"I'm alright, dad. I promise." Rachel assured him as he let her go and stared at Alia with wide eyes.

"Li, when did you start going to school again? You swore you never would."

"Uh, it was… very recent, gramps." Alia replied awkwardly as she picked her school bag up off the floor, where Rachel had carried it in for her. "Well, I've got homework and I'm assuming you'll stay for tea."

"You bet, kid. Me and your mum have some catching up to do first, and then I want to hear you play for me, Li."

"A new song?"

"You know it."

…

"I'm sorry, Rachie." Johnathan told her after Rachel had poured out the whole story regarding Fiona and Mel and Eddie and Alia and Philip, not sparing any details, even in regards to Melissa's bigamy. "You said you've got Alia finding the proof in the Mel and Eddie thing?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, her and Jack. They said they'd do it next week."

"Why am I not surprised? Jack's practically your second child, even if it's obvious that the boy will end up with your daughter."

Rachel smiled. "I know, and they love each other, they've told me so. But they don't want to do anything yet. They're best friends and they want a childhood before they decide anything. I'll let them have their strange relationship."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Ali could do a whole lot worse than falling for Jack."

"Anyway, back to the original point in hand. Li and Jack are taking care of one part, but what happens when Eddie finds out about Li? And then finds out Li's other identity?" Johnathan asked gently.

Rachel blinked. "I… don't know. Does he have to know?"

"If you really love him, then yes. You know this, Rachel."

"I just, well, I don't want to. He already hurt me, dad. I don't want to give him the power to hurt Ali too."

"Alia is a big girl now, Rach. She can handle it."

"But the issue right now is what do I do about mum? She's driving me insane! The only good thing is that the kids are firmly on my side."

Johnathan looked pained as he answered. "I have one way. Mention a name to her. Mollie Dean."

"Who's Mollie Dean?"

Johnathan sighed. "The other reason I divorced your mother. Mollie was, is, your little sister. I think she's about nine or so now. She lives with her dad. Fiona got pregnant with her yoga instructor and tried to pass it off as mine. She was forty six when Mollie was born, and she'd thought that she couldn't get pregnant and became careless. What she'd forgotten was that I had a vasectomy when Melissa turned six." Johnathan shook his head sadly. "Mollie knows about us, and her dad does too, but Fiona pretends that Mollie doesn't exist. I visit the child when I can, but…"

"It's difficult when your daughter and granddaughter don't know about her." Rachel finished for him sadly. "Oh dad, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I don't know. But your mum never told Mel either and she'll do anything to keep it that way. Including laying off being awful to you, sweetheart." Johnathan sighed again as he pulled Rachel into another hug.

Rachel sat in silence for a couple of minutes before she twisted around to look up at her dad. "Dad, can I meet Mollie? I'm sure Ali would want to meet her too."

"Are you sure? How would Li even react?"

"She'll be alright. I do know my own daughter, dad. What shall we have for tea?"

"How about we order in and have a kebab each?"

"Sounds good."

…

The following morning, Rachel sat Alia down on the couch at ten in the morning. Johnathan had agreed to bring Mollie around at half past eleven, and Rachel wanted to prepare her daughter before that happened. "Ali, there's something I have to tell you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. See, my dad told me something I hadn't known before. I, uh, I have a sister."

"Yeah, Melissa." Alia frowned. "You work with her Rach. Hell, you became a prostitute for her. You should already know that she's your sister."

"No, not Melissa. Another one." Rachel took a deep breath. "Her name is Mollie and she's nine."

"But you're like thirty odd." Alia pointed out. "How's that even possible?"

"Fiona was twenty when I was born. You were five when Mollie was born. Fiona thought she couldn't get pregnant that old, but she was wrong. Hence Mollie."

"Alright." Alia replied slowly. "So Fiona screwed up and Mollie was the result. Is that why Grandpa John divorced her?"

"Yes and no. Yes, he divorced her, though mainly because she cheated on him, but he still goes to see Mollie as much as she can. Mollie lives with her dad, the yoga instructor."

"Right. So, why are you telling me now?"

"Because my dad is bringing her around to meet us in an hour and half." Rachel admitted. Alia blinked in shock. "Mollie always wanted to meet us, apparently, and I want to know her, if that's okay with you."

"Uh, yeah, I guess." Alia blinked rapidly. "Alright. I'll try to behave my best."

"Alia. If you don't want this…"

"I don't know her. I don't like a lot of people that I don't know." Alia pointed out. "But I'll give her a shot. It's the least I can do for you, mum."

…

Johnathan shot Mollie a reassuring smile as he knocked on the front door. Mollie bit her lip nervously, looking up at Johnathan with wide emerald coloured eyes. Her light brunette hair was tied back in two long French braids that ended halfway down her back. "What if they don't like me?" She whispered.

"They'll love you just as much as I do, Molls." Jonathan assured her softly. The door opened, revealing Alia wearing a white top and dark blue jeans with black Mary Jane wedges. Even though she wore Ugg boots to school and when she was tired, she still wore heels the rest of the time, to help her stay used to them for the next interview, meeting or tour she had to do. "Alia! How're you this morning?" Jonathan asked brightly.

"I'm fine gramps." Alia sent Mollie a small smile. "You must be Mollie. Nice to meet you. Come on in. Rach is in the kitchen." She opened the door wider to allow the pair into the house, closing it behind them gently. Halfway down the corridor, Mollie stopped and squealed in delight at one of the pictures on the wall. Rachel had insisted that some pictures of Alia as Lia Rose be put up on the walls as the former was so proud of Alia's achievements as Lia. The picture in question was of Lia after a concert with her long blue hair haphazardly tied up away from her face as she was grinning at the camera, her manager on one side and Jack on the other, all three making silly poses for the camera.

"You know Lia Rose!" Mollie practically squealed. "She's my favourite ever!" She turned to Alia with shining eyes. "How did you even get backstage? It's the most difficult thing to do at her concerts and I've been to three! Did you know she's releasing an album soon?"

"Uh, yeah, I did." Alia managed to get out without laughing. "Rach, gramps and Mollie are here!"

Rachel walked into the hall to see Mollie bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement whilst Johnathan seemed a little guilty and Alia seemed amused. "What's going on?"

"You guys met Lia Rose!"

Rachel exchanged looks with Alia, who shook her head slightly. "Uh, yes, we did, love. That was a while ago though. You must be Mollie. I'm Rachel."

Mollie calmed down enough to send Rachel a shy smile. "I know. John told me all about you and Alia. I'm really happy to meet you both."

"As we are with you. I uh, I made chicken burgers for dinner. Is that okay?"

Johnathan nodded. "That's fine. We're hungry, aren't we Molls?"

Mollie nodded and Rachel led the way into the kitchen, with Johnathan and Mollie following soon behind. Alia slipped upstairs into her room and hunted around various stacks of paper left on her desk. Not finding what she was looking for, she rushed up the second set of stairs that led to the rooms she practised her music and such in. Hunting through a few further stacks of paper, she found what she was looking for. Scrabbling around for a pen, she penned a quick note and ran back downstairs.

The three occupants of the kitchen looked up as Alia entered the room. Hesitantly, Alia handed Mollie the sheet of paper. "Here. For you."

Mollie looked down at the paper. It was an A4 headshot publicity photo of Lia Rose, on which Alia had written, _All The Best, love Lia Rose xxx_

 **TBC?**


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N): Okay, so I really did not plan on updating anything, until I realised that it wasn't really fair to you guys, who have been waiting so patiently for me. So, whilst I may not be putting up new stories, my resolution as far as fanfiction goes is that I will endeavour to finish as many fics as I can. So, here is your new chapter, and I am so thankful to everyone who has stuck with me for so long. Love you all.**

 **HeavenSkye x**

 **What the Heart Wants**

 **Chapter 9**

That Monday morning, Rachel found herself stirring her cup of coffee once again, though this time she had a wide smile that she couldn't shift from her face no matter how hard she tried. She'd spent most of the weekend with her dad, her daughter and her little sister and had had more fun than she'd thought possible under the circumstances. Philip had been forced to stay with his mother all weekend, without a single chance to sneak off to see his aunt and cousin, though he'd managed to text Alia a couple of times in regards to the vague plan she'd told him of. Alia had taken a couple of hours out of Sunday to see Jack and they'd gone to see an action movie that had left them both on adrenaline highs when Alia returned home that day, much to Rachel's amusement.

"Rach, is it okay if Jack comes round Tuesday instead of Wednesday?" Alia asked as she skidded into the kitchen, wearing her uniform without shoes, allowing her socks to provide enough slip to slide into the room.

"Jack's allowed round whenever you want within reason; you know that Ali." Rachel frowned, taking a sip of her coffee. Alia nodded, making herself a cup of coffee and perching herself on the counter opposite her mother.

"Yeah, I know, but it's polite to ask."

"You saw him yesterday. What's changed?"

"He still wants to help with the Eddie and Mel thing but we figured that a longer trip would be better if we come under suspicion." Alia shrugged.

"Sometimes, your knowledge of all this concerns me."

"Me too, but it's not like I can forget it now." Alia shrugged again. "Come on. Haven't you got a meeting or something?"

"I'm supposed to, but Eddie's got his son for the next week and he has to get him to school, so I swapped it to a lunch meeting." Rachel smiled, remembering her interactions with the small boy, who would be about five years old if her calculations were correct, in reception at the local primary school fifteen minutes from Waterloo Road.

"He's got a son?"

"Yeah, Michael."

Alia watched her carefully for a few moments before deciding not to say anything about the expression Rachel sported, one that told her that she already cared a lot about the little boy, and probably didn't consider Eddie anything less than a package deal with his son. She jumped off the counter, almost slipping when her sock-clad feet made contact with the floor. "Right, well, I need to go grab my boots and my blazer and text Jack back. You gonna be ready by the time I get down here again?"

"Yeah… No breakfast today?"

"I'll grab some at school." Alia rolled her eyes at Rachel's disbelieving look. "I swear I will, okay?"

"Fine, but I will be checking."

"I'd expect nothing less."

…

Rachel stood at her office window at break, looking down onto the playground with a soft smile playing at her lips as she saw Alia talking to three of the sixth form girls, including Chlo, who seemed to becoming fast friends with the younger girl. Rachel shrugged to herself. Alia could do a lot worse, friend wise, after all, she thought, considering all the kids that attended the school.

A knock on the door made her jump and turn from the window as Eddie walked in almost hesitantly. Rachel resisted the urge to sigh deeply. Ever since he had started dating Mel, Eddie no longer just waltzed into her office without knocking as he used to, and Rachel could easily confess to herself, if no-one else, that she missed it. She also missed the simple comradery that had existed between them, and wanted him back, even if she knew it was wrong to think of it that way. He hadn't really left, after all.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Eddie asked, hovering in the doorway almost awkwardly. Rachel frowned at the question, moving to sit on the couch under the window.

"I'm fine, Eddie. What can I do for you?"

"Uh, I just wondered if you'd cover my third period lesson. It's year 11, top set, and they have work to be getting on with. The details are all on my desk. I wouldn't ask, you know that, but I just got a call from Michael's primary school, and I've got to go pick him up." Eddie looked genuinely worried as Rachel stood up and nodded.

"Yeah, of course, Eddie. You go; I'll cover for as long as you need me to. Go to Michael." Rachel told him earnestly. Eddie smiled his gratitude, reaching out and squeezing Rachel's arm.

"Thanks Rach, I owe you one. I'll see you soon, hopefully." He let go of her arm and rushed out of her office as quickly as he'd appeared. Rachel let out a long breath, her eyes involuntarily moving to the bookcase near her desk, the copy of _Crime and Punishment_ immediately catching her eyes, the present seeming so very long ago. Rachel jumped as the bell rang before grabbing her jacket and phone before walking out of her office and to the maths classroom. She had a class to teach.

…

Alia walked into the maths classroom with two other girls, after Chlo left them, as she was going to the library to complete a French essay, only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw Rachel stood at the front instead of Eddie, whom she'd been expecting. She'd gotten on fairly well with the math teacher since she'd been kept behind in his class, and to find her mum suddenly there in his place was more than a little disconcerting.

She barely reacted aloud however, instead choosing to shoot Rachel a quick look telling the older woman that they'd be talking about it later before taking her seat, still talking to one of the girls she'd walked in with. No-one else seemed to notice the tension between headmistress and student. Rachel let out a long breath before putting up the website Eddie had written down for the starter activity.

"Alright, settle down. I'm covering Mr Lawson's class today and we'll be following your set lesson. Algebra. Who can factorise these quadratic equations?"

…

After the hour lesson had finished, Alia spent a long time clearing up her things, until she was the only person left in the class other than Rachel herself. "Rach, I didn't expect you here." Alia confessed with a blush. Rachel smiled with a shake of her head.

"I had to cover for Eddie at the last minute, otherwise I would've found another teacher to cover, Ali." Rachel glanced at her, a hint of concern in her eyes. "How are you doing so far, Ali?"

"Alright, I guess. I was a bit bored, but that's only cause I've already gone further on my own. I'm sure they'll teach me something sooner or later." Alia looked at her timetable. "I've got English now, and French last, with Mr Clarkson and Ms Haydock. Have you seen Fiona today at all?"

Rachel led Alia out of the classroom before sighing. "No, and I don't want to. As much as I want her to be… nicer, I don't really want to bring Mollie into this unless I have to."

"I guess that makes sense. Well, I've got to run, so I'll see you later." Alia smiled slightly, running off down the corridor before Rachel could tell her off for it. Rachel let another smile grace her features before turning around and moving back to her office, knowing she didn't need to cover for Eddie that lesson, as he had an hour of non-contact time before lunching, supposed to be spent marking and making lesson plans.

Walking into the outer office, she saw Bridget smiling up at her. "Miss Mason, Mr Lawson's back with his son." Bridget informed her before gesturing to Rachel's office. "They're in there."

Rachel nodded and mentally steeled herself before opening the door and stepping into the office, where Eddie sat on the couch with a pale looking Michael next to him. "Rach, how were the year 11s?"

"Good." Rachel responded, sitting on the other side of the little boy, who looked up to the woman with a watery smile, recognising her vaguely from the only other time he'd been at the school. "What's up, Michael?"

"Feel sicky." Michael whispered, causing Rachel to wince in sympathy and Eddie to silently marvel at his usually withdrawn son so at ease with Rachel that he spoke without glancing at Eddie first to make sure it was okay to talk to her.

"Well, that's horrible isn't it?" Rachel asked rhetorically, ruffling Michael's hair sympathetically, not thinking too much about the gesture as Michael managed to send her another smile.

"I'm tired." He whispered. Rachel nodded, standing up and moving over to her desk, finding her spare cardigan in the bottom draw before taking off her suit jacket, remembering to take the mobile phone out of it. She then rolled the jacket into a makeshift pillow and set it on one end of the other side of the couch from where Michael and Eddie sat.

"Come on, love, let's get you down for a nap."

Michael nodded, very sleepy as he slid from where he was sat and stumbled over to Rachel, who picked him up and laid him down on the couch on his side, covering him with her cardigan. "Thank you." He whispered as he drifted off, Rachel placing the small bin next to the couch where his head was, just in case he was sick.

"Thank you, Rachel. I really didn't know what to do with him." Eddie confessed in a hushed voice, though it still caused Rachel to jump before she flushed in embarrassment that she'd just effectively taken over Eddie's child without a thought to the man in question. "I've never had him when he's been ill before."

"He'll feel better when he wakes up. It'll probably just be like a twenty four hour thing, Eddie." Rachel informed him as Eddie stood up, the pair stood shoulder to shoulder, staring down at the sleeping little boy. "Uh, do you want to take him home? I can try to find cover for you, and I can do it if all else fails."

"No, I can't move him, not when he looks so comfortable." It was Eddie's turn to flush bright red. "Uh, that is if you don't mind him being in here."

"Of course not." Rachel waved it off. "It's not a bother. Michael seems like a really sweet little boy."

"Thanks, Rach." Eddie found her hand and squeezed her fingers to convey his gratitude. "I have to get to my room, do some marking, but if he needs me…"

"I'll get Bridget to come and find you straight away." Rachel assured him. "Eddie, Michael just feels awful right now, but the sleep should help. He'll be okay Eddie." She told him firmly, correctly guessing what really had Eddie so awkward and stumbling over his words; worry over his son's welfare. Eddie nodded jerkily, his eyes still on Michael's sleeping face.

"Alright. I'll come back at dinner, see how he is."

"I thought you were having lunch with Melissa." Rachel returned softly, recalling that Philip had told Alia about the lunch Melissa had planned over the weekend, shortly after Mollie had gone home with her father on the Saturday night, though they came round again on Sunday. "Philip told me." She added as she saw Eddie's confused expression.

"Ah, well, no, it's not happening, not today at least. Michael needs me, and he'll always come first." Eddie responded firmly, throwing Rachel a brief smile as he kissed Michael's forehead and left the room. Rachel shut the door gently behind him and glanced again at the sleeping child before moving her paperwork to the coffee table and sitting on the other side of the couch to Michael, in case he needed her quickly. Making sure he was okay, Rachel settled down with her paperwork, intent on getting some work done before dinnertime.

 **TBC…**


End file.
